


The Man of Ashes

by The28thAurora



Series: The Man of Ashes Universe [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst and Feels, Attempt at Humor, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Beauty and the Beast Elements, BeeBee is a Fennec Fox, Bouquets, But I'm publishing it as fanfic first because the jokes make more sense that way, Courtship, Courtship Gifts, Deal with a Devil, Discussing Parenting, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Doting Romance, Emperor Snoke, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Everyone has some kind of magic, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fae AU, Fae Magic, Fairy Tale Elements, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, Finn and Rey (Star Wars) Are Related, Finn and Rey's Parents (Original Characters), Flower Favors, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Forgiveness, Graphic Description, HEA, Honestly I could change the names and this could be OF, Imperial Court, It'll be explained as we go along don't worry, It's Star Wars but it's not, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylo Ren Redemption, Language of Flowers, Life-for-a-life Deal, Literal and Figurative Masks, M/M, Magic, Marriage, Marriage Contracts, Marriage Proposal, Mild Sexual Content, Modern Royalty, Multi, Mutual Masturbation, Mystical Creatures, Mysticism, Never seen Clone Wars so Ahsoka is definitely among those, Non-Penetrative Sex, Occasionally graphic, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Paige might be a bit OOC, Palpatine is just a creepy gremlin man in the Imperial Court, Penetrative Sex, Praise Kink, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnancy Mentioned in Epilogue, Prophecies, Prophecies Screwing Up These Kids Lives, Prophecies and How to Defy Them, Rey is Not a Palpatine, Romance, Rose is OOC because you would be too if you'd grown up in the Empire, Rose will not be OOC for that long though, Royal Court, Royalty, Scenery ho!, Screw Destiny, Several Characters are OOC, Sexual Experimentation, Sexual Tension, Sith Family Tree, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tussie-Mussie, Villain Meets a Violent End, Virgin Ben Solo, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), Working through Ben's Issues, adopted sibling, also humor, domesticity kink, fairy tale fluff, happily ever after guaranteed, hux is literally the worst, relentless fluff, so much love, yes actually though sith family tree
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:35:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 44
Words: 228,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26261248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The28thAurora/pseuds/The28thAurora
Summary: Rey Somnus was an ordinary Dream Duster from the small town of Niima on the desert planet of Jakku. She loved her job, delivering dreams to those in need of inspiration or assistance, and couldn't imagine a better partner in the blessed business than her adopted brother Finn. Then one night, the Emperor's Hand flies into town and everything changes.A mistake and a misunderstanding, and Finn's life ends up in jeopardy. Seeing no other alternative, Rey proposes a deal with the most legendary, feared, and dangerous magick-wielder in the galaxy:The Emperor's Hand, the Man of Ashes.He agrees to spare Finn's life on one condition: that Rey leaves with him instead, swearing to become his wife.
Relationships: Matt the Radar Technician (separate character from Kylo Ren)/Original Female Character, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: The Man of Ashes Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2118267
Comments: 141
Kudos: 217





	1. Prologue

All the usual signs were there, even from a young age.

She was unshakably stubborn and merciful when she saved the foundling from his cruel master's public beating in the marketplace.

She was tender and kind, protecting the little bat-eared desert fox that had been separated from its mother and raising it as her own, though her parents forbade her from keeping it inside.

She was fast, and could jump higher and further than any of the other neighborhood children when they had their daily footraces.

And she loved telling and being told stories like her imaginative parents – adventure stories filled with danger and magick and mystery where good triumphed over evil.

On her sixth birthday, she knocked on her parents door during the Sacred Hour, little eyes aglow like glimmering stardust, golden and sweet, and her mother and father donned their long scarves and took her out for her first midnight run.

Indeed, she was every bit the Dream Duster that her father was, and his mother before him.

They called her their little comet, and she beamed with pride.

She took her adopted little brother under her wing, and with a bit of patience and practice, he began to show a talent for the Duster arts as well. They became inseparable after his first run, insisting on delivering their gifts together, like partners in crime.

All was well for many years in their little market town of Niima on the edge of the Great Desert.

Then the nights grew cloudy and cold, her parents bedtime stories grew darker and more cautionary in nature, and all who were attuned to the rhythm and whir and flow of the Ethereum knew something was amiss.

She knew something was wrong immediately upon waking. It was too early to go running.

Still, she accepted the scarf that was thrown over her head, and did not protest when her parents, two satchels of necessities slung over their shoulders, yanked her and her brother by the hand out of their apartment.

They sprinted down the street as if the Nightmares of the Old Empire were right on their heels. It would not take her long to discover why.

The shrill whistle that shrieked through the night was enough to make her go temporarily deaf. Yet still, she felt it when the ground heaved and shook beneath her sprinting feet and the heat rushed angrily up behind them.

She could not help it when she whipped around and looked back.

What had once been their home was now little more than smoldering ruins, orange-white Hellfire licking angrily at the burnt bricks and timbers-turned-charcoal.

Her mother practically pulled her off her feet as they took off running again.

She lost track of how many turns they took, trying to put distance between them and their apartment, winding through the eerily silent and dark city streets that were normally alive with light and music and sparklers and merry-makers, celebrating one festival or another.

Finally, their parents saw fit to stop and rest behind a ruined stall, shoved crudely into a back alley for later disposal. They lowered their scarves to reveal their equally frightened expressions.

“Listen to us very carefully now,” said her father, low voice trembling, from the cold or fear, she could not tell “You are not to leave this spot for any reason. Stay low, stay hidden, and stay quiet.” he lifted the strap of the satchel from his head, and her mother followed suit.

“Keep our things safe until we return.” she said, pressing the bags into their laps, and drawing her children into her arms “Protect one another and keep each other warm. We'll find a transport to take us far away from here.”

“We promise you, we'll be back by sun-up.” said her father, stroking their heads tenderly, salt-and-pepper beard tickling the top of her head.

Her brother had not been with them long enough to know, but she could tell when her father was trying to keep the tears from his voice.

“And what if you're not?” she asked, brave and brash for her ten years of age, though her heart shuddered in her chest at the thought.

Her mother could not hold back a sob. She pulled away to stroke her children's cheeks and look into their faces.

Her eyes were impossibly blue and brilliant in the vague light of the stars, glittering with her tears.

“We will come back to you, my precious ones,” she murmured, letting the tears fall freely, staining her cheeks and dampening the tips of her long, chestnut locks.

“We swear it by the stars that gave us life,” said her father planting a kiss on the head of each child.

They rose, covering their faces with their scarves, and gingerly slunk from the alleyway, melting into the shadows of the city streets.

She did as she was told and drew her nine year-old brother into her arms, and when the night became icy, their scarves and the blankets in their satchels kept in the warmth.

Her salt-crusted eyes cracked open to the golden light of morning melting down the side of the baked-clay houses.

The clanging and hollering of market sellers preparing their stalls and setting up their wares greeted her ears, and she nudged her brother awake.

They searched high and low, all over town, but the only people they found were their concerned neighbors, who wept at the sight of them alive and well and brought them inside for breakfast.

She would try for years to cling to hope, as that was her nature as both as a Dream Duster and a human being.

But it was pointless to deny it.

Rey would never see her parents again.

~*~*~*~

He came into the world in the usual way.

His mother was in labor for thirty-six hours before he emerged, slimy and bloody and screaming, his spent mother crying in relief.

But that was the end of the ordinary.

He was washed in a porcelain tub, his father cut the umbilical cord with sterling silver shears, and he was swaddled in a delicately hand-stitched, wool blanket as he was pressed to his mother's breast.

And the joy, the extravagance, the celebration there was in the castle that night! For a little prince had been born.

The wine flowed, the foundations shook with music and dance, servants and royals alike indulged in the midnight feast, and after the prince had his first meal of milk and fell swiftly asleep in his mother's arms, his father kissed his wife's head and excused himself to briefly part-take in the festivities and promptly go to bed.

As the Queen-Mother began to drift between sleeping and waking, she counted her blessings and thanked the Gods of the Ethereum for each answered prayer. The midwife had carried out the delivery perfectly, her husband had adored the child and wept upon holding him for the first time, her baby boy was strong and healthy, and she could finally rest peacefully after a difficult pregnancy.

The dread and unease of the past nine months had left her at long last.

Now, everything could get back on track.

Her boy would have powerful, Mystic abilities, for his ties to the Ethereum stretched far back in time, even to his great-grandparents. Her family had always been the Children of the Stars.

He would be educated and trained, taught both knowledge and kindness as a prince, and refinement and mercy in magick, and his abilities would likely grant him a position as a Grand Healer, like his uncle, or a place among the Boreal Guard, making him a warrior, like her.

He would marry well and carry on the prestigious heritage of the Noble House of Skywalker, and above all, she prayed for his happiness, and that he find a place of belonging and purpose in this life.

It was not too many generations back that her family had malcontents who had ties to certain...unspeakable magick arts.

But she feared not.

Even in the womb, she had sensed the purity of her child's heart, and his potential to grow up to be a loving, kind person.

And, as she felt the soft breaths of her sleeping child against her collarbone, she could only be filled with a profound calm and hope, the pounding of the dance below lulling her to sleep like a heartbeat...

“LEIA!!”

The Queen-Mother shot awake with a yell, into the waiting arms of her panicked husband.

“What's happened?!” she breathed, bewildered and clutching her child.

“The priestesses – the temple – I don't know how -”

“Han, you aren't making any sense, _what happened?!_ ”

“The Somni temple went up in flames!! The priestesses are asking for sanctuary!”

“I trust you granted it to them!” The Queen shot back, livid that her husband would have woken her up for so simple a task as granting sanctuary during disasters.

Even a king-consort could see to that.

“Yes, of course, but that's not why I woke you, dearest!” Han said, his voice taking on a sarcastic, argumentative edge.

The king-consort's normally jovial, twinkling golden-brown eyes took on the appearance of cold steel.

“The temple didn't just burn down – it was attacked.”

“By whom?” The Queen asked, the wide whites of her eyes reflecting the moonlight from the balcony windows.

“No one knows. At midnight, precisely, lightning struck the temple.”

For a minute or two, the Queen merely sat in shock, frozen.

Then her child woke from his sleep and began to wail, tipping her over the edge.

The Queen sobbed and screamed right along with him, clutching her child to her. She was inconsolable, though her husband and servants and tried for hours to get her to calm.

For she knew then what it would take years for any other to discover.

The dread she'd felt while carrying her unborn son had not been coincidence. He'd been marked, maybe even since the moment of his conception.

A shadow hung over her son, twisting his fate, corrupting his soul, ripping control of his life from him, and from the hands of those who loved him.

Her dearest Benjamin, the person she loved most in this world, was already lost to her.

~*~*~*~

For he was born, not an ordinary Mystic, but the Man of Ashes. He would come to be famed throughout the galaxy as the Nightmare's Executioner, the Deal-Maker of Daemons, more monster than Mystic. At least, that was what the stories said.

Tales of terror would be whispered about him in the dead of night, of how he could travel through shadows, how he could read minds with ease like a seer, how he commanded fire and smoke as if they were his most loyal pets, how his rage knew no bounds if provoked, even over the smallest matter.

He'd taken many lives without question to secure his position in the Imperial Court, and his capacity for mercy was non-existent. He ruled over his serfdom in the Empire with an iron fist, face hidden behind a dark, war-lord's helmet.

For Rey Somnus, there could not be a more terrifying villain, or perfect, loathsome antagonist to get his comeuppance in the end in the tales of heroes and adventure and danger her parents spun at bedtime, and she knew them all by heart.

But the older she grew, the more she forgot how those stories used to scare her.

She remembered them only as fond ghost stories, and chuckled at the memories.

Because such a man was the stuff of legends and myths, not reality.


	2. Chapter 01

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey wants nothing more than to stay on Jakku, though perhaps not for the best reasons. Finn wants nothing more than to explore the galaxy, for the love of adventure.
> 
> Attached at the hip, an ominous arrival in town might just be what's needed to bring this eternal debate between siblings to an end.

The _thud_ and _shudder_ of the roof timbers under her back as she landed and rolled forward, launching into a leaping sprint, was as familiar a sensation as breathing.

But, to Rey's chagrin, though she was agile as ever, she could never outpace her partner in crime.

“C'mon, little sister, try to keep up!” chortled her brother, Finn, as he cleared the gap between two houses with the greatest of ease, his long, sandy-colored scarf billowing in the air behind him.

Rey's brow furrowed and she pumped her legs faster, her route becoming clear to her perceptive gaze. Where others merely saw rooftops, meant for protecting housing from vicious wind and the downpours of rain in the wet season, a seasoned Dream Duster such as she saw a sky-way – a path that only the bold could travel.

She veered abruptly to her right and soared across the street to the opposite row of houses, hopping and skipping up the line of uneven, rickety chimneys, light as a feather. When she could climb no higher on the precarious baked-brick stacks, she turned again, aiming for the spire of the Somni temple her brother was headed towards, trusting her momentum and the strength of her almost rabbit-like legs to carry her through, right up among the scattered stars.

When it was clear nearly halfway through her arc they would not, Rey did not panic or shriek. Her eyes merely flashed like Jakku's brilliant star at sunset, tangerine and crimson, and her tan scarf swept out behind her, catching the breeze of the cold desert night like a sail, and carried her straight and true to destination.

She landed only moments before her brother, but a victory was a victory in her book, and she grinned unabashedly.

“Make your landing any daintier, and people will start mistaking you for a nymph.” Finn said, arms crossed tight against his chest, though his grin snuck out between his words.

Rey barked with laughter at the mere suggestion.

“Or a Krayt dragon, stalking in the night, coming to eat their young!” she retorted, sticking out her tongue at him.

Finn broke, his nose wrinkling with his gentle chortle. He starting clambering down from their perch on the dome, Rey following suit, nearing the commotion and light of the street below.

The swirling of the rainbow garments, scarves and saris of delighted dancers assaulted Rey's sight, a joyous dervish of color. The jeweled kaleidoscope was only matched by the pastel brilliance of the fireworks that shrieked into the night and burst with crisp _pops_ overhead, and the pigmented, spiced flour in neatly tied packages that were tossed from the windows and exploded on the street below, sending familiarly sweet and spicy aromas drifting up to them.

Rey couldn't recall tonight's cause for celebration – something about a visiting dignitary, perhaps? Anyway, it mattered not. The people of Niima always threw the biggest parties over the smallest matters, and why shouldn't they? The simple pleasures of a hard-working life were worth celebrating.

Rey's nimble fingers clung to the dome's thin wooden ledge, and, following her brother, she began to inch her way around the turquoise onion-dome (at least, that's what she always thought it looked like as a child). The small, round, skylight window had been left open for them, and, taking careful aim, Finn swung his body up and over the ledge, launching himself inside. Rey was quick to follow him into the darkness, and, landing quietly, but hardly silent, they stole about the priests' and nuns' sleeping cots, carrying out their noble work.

Rey allowed her mind to wander and the wide-cast net of her intuition to instruct her. She could tap into the energy of the Ethereum and sense in each resting, peaceful mind what was needed. Rubbing her fingers together, as if she intended to spark a fire between them, a golden, glittery substance built up in her palms. Focusing firmly on her intentions, with a gentle hand and a puff of breath, she sent the gold dust flying over the sleeping faces of the clergy.

As she'd instructed Finn years ago, Dream Dusting was entirely intuitive, and the nature of their magickal art relied on their faith in it to deliver the right dreams. A dream of peace here, an image of joy there, a rest that provided wisdom or enlightenment, or a creative spark, a recollection of a childhood memory, reflecting on the day's events, or reuniting with an old friend in sleep; this was the task of all Dream Dusters, to provide each sleeping subconscious with what they most needed in order to secure their happiness in their waking lives.

Every open window in Niima was an invitation to carry out their work, and it was the universal signal to Dream Dusters everywhere, few and far between though they were.

As Rey rounded each bed in her half of the room, she recalled the question she'd asked her father many years ago.

“Papa, if Dream Duster's work makes people so happy, why aren't their more of us?” Her father had chuckled and made light of the situation at the time, but she recalled the slight bit of tension that she'd spotted in his brow.

“Because few Mystics have the propensity for the art, my little comet. They want to use their magicks to gain more knowledge, or to grow to new forms of life, or to choose their own destiny, and that is all fine and well too. They can also do good for this world. The trouble is, you need to be steadfast in your commitment to be a Dream Duster – when we sign our names in the Book of Dusters upon coming of age, we swear to limit our Mystical abilities for life. And there are very few who would forego their own true potential to help all others reach their own; they fail to see the beauty and humility in that choice.”

The truth of the matter had been hidden in her father's statement that day, and it wasn't long before it came to light.

She'd chewed out an Imp boy for stealing an apple from the marketplace and using a replication spell to make multiple copies for his gang of friends, and he'd shoved her to the ground.

She didn't even understand why he was so furious to begin with – it's not like his chubby friends had needed the apples anyway, they weren't starving like some of the neighborhood children she knew.

“You're just griping because a miserable, pathetic dream fairy like you couldn't dream of casting spells!” he'd yelled, spitting apple juice in her face.

“I make people happy – I give people hope, something to look forward too! What do your stupid spells do?!” she'd screamed back, face flaming.

He'd shot her a wicked, toothy grin, apple peel stuck between his teeth.

“They keep us fed, give us plenty, help us build things, or tear them down, or make something out of nothing. They _change_ things. Your dreams will never change anything, dust-bunny.”

She hated it, but Rey could still recall the perfect clarity of the bully's laughter that day as he stalked away with his gang. She had no idea where the boy was now, but one thing she knew with perfect clarity was that he was wrong.

She didn't just bring whimsical dreams to people, mere flights of fancy. She could direct their waking lives by giving them support in their sleeping ones. In adults, certainly, the influence was more limited. Oh, but in children?

No amount of nay-saying could ever convince Rey that giving a child a dream, an ambition, a desire to find purpose or enact change or improve the world, that they would strive for all their lives, was not powerful or important.

So she took a deep breath of satisfaction every time she and her brother finished Dusting a room, because she knew, in their own way, they were putting good will out into the world.

Her attention was pulled from her task to the _clinks_ of her brother filling his hip pouch with gold from the offering bowl, a happy smile gracing his strong, dark features.

As Dream Dusting was their specialty, they were paid for their services, and the financial security of their work also brought a smile to Rey's face. Mind, no two homes could ever provide the same amount of gold, and none ever gave very much, but it was enough for the two of them.

“Three more houses on the row, and we'll be done for the night,” Finn said to her once they'd climbed back out the window and wouldn't wake the temple clergy.

And so went their nightly ventures, leaping from house to house, reveling in the night air and the electric elation of the streets below. Finn had suggested every now and again moving out of their comfy apartment and renting a shuttle to take them around the asteroid belt to one planet or another – his heart had always been set on seeing more of the galaxy.

Rey, however, made them stay, claiming that there was no other planet, or town, where she would rather be.

This was a half-truth. She stayed for other reasons besides the night life, the town's home-grown food, and their kind neighbors, Sinjel and Jathka, who'd been their guardians for many years until Rey and Finn could support themselves. She stayed, because wild, reckless, foolish hope, told her to plant roots.

Because then, mayhaps, she'd see them again.

Rey was ripped from her thoughts by a sharp intake of breath as they were Dusting the last house. She ran, silent as a mouse, to her brother's side. He'd been about to puff dust in the direction of the youngest son of the household, when he'd frozen in place.

Rey searched the boy's mind, reaching out with her intuition, and she could barely breath as her chest filled with fear, raw, vivid, and violent, as he tossed and turned in his sleep.

“Nightmare,” she breathed, barely above a whisper, meeting her brother's almost-black brown eyes, wide with fear. There were more and more of them appearing spontaneously these days. A dark omen, by some standards, but more likely an indication of turbulent, uncertain times the galaxy-over.

Rey gathered her strength and sent a torrent of golden dust over the boy's head. The dust settled on him, and almost instantly, his body calmed and stilled. A quick check of his mind made clear that the nightmare had been banished by the dream of bravery Rey had given him, the two canceling each other out.

“I think it best that we not tax his mind with any further dreams tonight,” Finn murmured, Rey nodding in total agreement. Finn pressed a gentle, reassuring hand to the crown of the boy's head, and the pair departed, Rey taking the three gold coins from the donation bowl and depositing them in her hip-pouch on their way out.

The siblings leapt from the roof to the bell tower at the town center, settling in to rest and watch the commotion below. Before Rey could even turn to cheekily ask Finn to 'pretty-please' buy some sweet bread from one of the stalls selling cheap street food below, he'd bounded down to the Crescent residence, bounced off the tailor's over-hanging awning, hopped to the abandoned crate and onto the sandy streets, where Hanna greeted his best customer with his usual zeal.

Chewing the honeyed-bread after a night of hard work, watching over the town from their perch, enveloped by a blanket of glimmering stars – nothing could bring Rey more joy.

“Do you ever wonder about what kind of Mystic you might've become, if you hadn't fallen in love with being a Dream Duster?” Finn mumbled through a mouthful of bread. Rey swallowed roughly, brow furrowing.

“You know I don't. It matters not if I can't turn invisible or cast spells or any of that fluffy nonsense – I love my work. At most, healing would be the only usual extra ability, and any Mystic can learn to do that!” she retorted, impassioned, reminding herself that she had to get back to studying healing magicks from the old tome she had sooner or later, or she would never master the ability.

“But why do _you_ ask, little brother?” Rey said with a smirk, putting Finn in his place by reminding him that he was, in fact, younger than her.

He guffawed, nearly choking on the last bite of his treat, to which Rey rolled her eyes.

“For a Mystic whose job relies so much on an open mind and blind faith to make the impossible happen, you really lack imagination, sun-spot!”

“Oh, don't dodge the question – what would you do if you could learn new magick?” she said, eyes twinkling from the street lights below.

Finn's answer was instantaneous.

“Fly.”

“Sod off, you already fly!”

“Correction – I jump!”

“With the gaps I've seen you cross it's practically flying already!”

“But I can't leave the atmosphere, Rey.” Finn said, smile suddenly falling. “If I could fly through the Ethereum without the aid of a ship, like Seraphs, I'd circle the system, have breakfast on Naboo, lunch on Coruscant, watch three different sunrises and sunsets, and still be back in time for Uncle Sinjel and Aunt Jathka's dinner of lamb stew.”

He let out a heavy sigh.

“That way, we could have it both ways – I could travel, you could stay here, and we'd never be too far apart.”

Rey's eyes scrunched closed as she reflected yet again on her promise to Finn.

If they saved up three thousand coins, he could go to flight school in Coruscant and, indeed, see the galaxy like he'd always wanted. They'd been collecting his tuition for nearly a year, and they'd almost met their goal. In a week or so, they'd have the amount.

Rey knew she'd be horrible to ask Finn to stay, but despite her beating herself up to be less selfish and think of Finn's dreams first, she couldn't bare the thought of being left on Jakku alone.

“Finn – I've said it once, and I'll say it again. You should go to flight school, it's what you've always wanted.”

He sighed in resignation.

“How can I go if you cry every time we bring it up?” Even now, the salty tears were making lazy tracks down her face. There was no passion behind them, not after this many times. They just came, like a reflex.

“Because I'll get over myself eventually. I'll be fine, Finn.” She refused to sniff, to let the rawness in her throat become apparent, but it mattered not. Finn knew her too well, and so she didn't argue when he opened his arms to her.

The sound of her brother's heartbeat against her ear was as calming as always, if his body heat was still a bit stiflingly warm from running.

They held each other for a good long minute, watching the people dancing in their technicolor saris below.

“You know, maybe there _is_ a way we can meet halfway on this.”

This was a new turn in this well-trod debate. Rey picked up her head.

“What do you mean?” she asked, pulling out of his embrace.

“I'd feel more comfortable leaving you here on Jakku if...I don't know...you found someone to share our big, empty apartment with?”

Rey slapped his shoulder, hard, and shot to her feet.

“FINN!” He was already laughing.

“I'm serious, sun-spot! You're nearly twenty-two! When is that lucky guy or girl finally going to catch your eye?!”

Rey rolled her eyes massively.

“ _First of all_ , I'm not attracted to girls that way – at least, not that I've found. _Second of all_ , just a few years ago, you were trying to burn the moral into my brain that all men are pigs, and now you expect me to just turn all that around?!”

“You're nearly a grown woman, and yet you've never been in love, not once?” Finn asked, shaking his head, incredulous.

“I've had a few crushes!”

“But that's not the same as being in love, Rey.”

His sister pouted in indignation.

“Not everyone can be so lucky as to find their soul-mate in early childhood – regardless of your long-distance relationship with him.” Finn guffawed.

“I'll be sure to tell Poe you said that in my next communication to him in Coruscant!”

“Oh, spare me...” Rey groaned “I don't need to walk in on another passionate, late-night, long-distance pillow talk happening between you two _again_.”

“Fear not, little sister, I'm sure the Ethereum is just waiting to give me my karmic punishment through whoever manages to capture _your_ heart.”

Rey smirked at her brother, her frustration and embarrassment waning quickly. Finn was her rock and her dearest friend, and no matter what he did, she could never stay mad at him for long.

That, and the roar of a descending ship coming down from the upper atmosphere shattered her focus entirely.

The black speck quickly grew into the jagged edges and lines of a wrought-iron, hulking monstrosity, engines firing hot plasma to slow its descent into the town square. If it weren't for the scarlet circular insignia that every child had been taught to fear from a young age, branded on the ship's side, Rey might have been able to pass off the ship for that of an eccentric millionaire's, simply making a show of his arrival in their back-water town.

The Empire's ships had always been frightening and beast-like in appearance, but this specimen was unusual even for armada's variety.

It's wide, razor-thin wing-span nearly blocked out the stars, and couldn't have done much to benefit the ship's aerodynamics, and the compound-eye-cockpit gave the impression that ship was alive and leering at her.

That, combined with the protruding weapon caches and multiple landing gear, and curled communication antennae at the prow, gave the impression that a giant insect had come from beyond the stars to destroy them.

She and Finn, ever listening to the same beat in the Ethereum, recalled just what the celebration was for at the same moment.

“The Emperor's Hand's tour of the system. Stars above, I'd completely forgotten,” Finn swore, rising to feet beside her, peering over the bell tower roof's edge, same as she.

“He's really on there, isn't he?” Rey murmured, voice thin from lack of breath. But her question was rhetorical.

Finn could feel in the Ethereum, just as well as she, that a great, heavy darkness had fallen in their midst, an angry, lurking, murderous thing. The Emperor's Hand was known among the outlying planets and in raided, oppressed communities throughout the galaxy, as The Executioner for a reason. And the creature made clear with the raw, rabid anger of his magickal aura that he was holed up within that very ship.

A child might have called him by a different name...But those were just stories. The Emperor's Hand was a very real monster of a different kind.

By the time the ship had settled, the people of Niima had grown silent. No one danced, no one sang, the music of the strings and drums had squawked and stuttered and died. Everyone merely watched, eyes wide as the gang-plank lowered, and Niima's vizier approached in his flowing purple robes to greet the Empire's most high-ranking Lord.

However, when the smoke cleared, a stocky, pale, ginger man in uniform stood at the bottom of the ramp instead.

The town seemed to take a collective breath of relief. It was not the Hand, merely only his trusted ranking officer, a Pyrite with flame-colored hair, but surprisingly icy-tinged eyes.

“Welcome to Niima, _Gener_ _á_ _l_ Hux, it is an honor and privilege to be host to you and the Empire's Most Esteemed Right Hand-” began Vizier Ahmed.

“Skip the pleasantries, Ahmed. My master is exhausted from his travels and wishes to be seen to his temporary place of residence immediately. We'll refuel overnight and be out of your hair by morning,” said the General in the snobbish, precise accent most higher ranking officers tended to speak with.

Ahmed gaped at the General for a moment, clearly trying to avoid gasping like a fish in shock at the curt rudeness of the officer. But, remembering the General outranked him, he quickly recovered.

“Of course, _Gener_ _á_ _l_ , my staff will see to your master's needs immediately.” Vizier Ahmed said, bowing and ushering forth a group of men and women, dressed in modest beige robes, helping the Hand's officers unload cargo and bring barrels of fuel under the shadow of the ship.

General Hux turned to pace back up the ship's ramp, but not before stopping abruptly and turning to face the crowd.

“Please, continue your celebration. The Emperor's hand does not wish to impose on your traditions or your merriment.”

With that, he disappeared back into the belly of the ship.

Though the crowd had been given permission, most were quick to disperse. There was a palpable tension among them now, and, though the eating and chatting would continue late into the night, the streets would be far emptier and quieter than Rey had heard in a long time.

“Let's get going little brother. I couldn't care less for the affairs of Imperial politicians,” murmured Rey, voice laced with disdain, as she and Finn leapt from roof to roof, their long scarves aiding their balance like tails as they made their way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Finn play cards late into the night. Rey makes a life-changing bet.

The Sacred Hour was one part tradition, one part instinct.

Every Mystic child woke at 3:00 in the morning for the first five years of their life, and stayed awake until 4:00, and which point most went out like a light. As Mystic's aged, often, the habit left them, and they slept soundly through the night.

As was their nature however, Dream Dusters never out grew it, and always observed the Sacred Hour.

For a time, Rey and Finn had tried to keep to tradition and spend the hour meditating or stretching or praying to the Gods of the Ethereum, but these days, they usually spent the hour destroying each other in card games and games of chance.

“Asteroid's lead, Finn! You can't be serious!” Rey swore, slapping her draw of cards onto the floor, summoning up raucous laughter from her brother as he claimed the pot for the fourth time (two chocolates, three bits of silver, and a crude, blue stone Rey had found during yesterday's hunt).

“Well maybe you'd have a bit more luck if you upped the stakes!” he retorted zealously. Rey was about to fix him with slap when she heard scratching at the apartment's window panes.

She rose with a groan.

“Fine – let me think of a deal while I get BeeBee dinner.” she said, cracking open the window to reveal a bolt of lightning that streaked across the room and into the kitchen. Rey was quick to pursue the bat-eared fox, who was running laps in the kitchen, impatient.

She gathered up the leftover pieces of scurrier meat she'd claimed yesterday for their nightly stew – nearly tripping over her worn, wooden hunting bow and quiver of arrows in the scarred corner in her haste – along with a few roasted beetles, tossing it into BeeBee's wooden food bowl. The desert fox was quick to pounce on the bowl and devour his meal, and Rey couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. In a quick minute, the pale yellow fox' belly was full, and he rolled over on the kitchen floor, asking for belly rubs with a high screech.

Rey scooped the creature into her arms, and he wiggled around with a shrill whine.

“Hush, you know you'll get more pets if you come and sit with us, quit your belly-aching.” Rey scolded mildly, tapping BeeBee's nose. Finn had tried to house-train the creature years ago so he could permanently live when them, once they had their own space. However, BeeBee was simply too wild, and had a mind of his own, tearing up anything that was composed of fabric or not nailed down, regularly rooting through the garbage, and sometimes anxiously marking the walls. That, and he snapped at anyone and everyone, Finn included.

Rey was the one exception.

He obeyed her every order like a scolded pup follows its mother. Even now, he went quiet at her command and stopped wriggling, especially as she was quick to set him down again and return his feral dignity to him, once she returned to Finn's side, sitting cross-legged.

“Alright then, how about a challenge as the bet?” Rey said, an idea popping into her mind just as she needed it. Finn's eyebrows rose mischievously.

“What did you have in mind, little sister?” he said, beginning to shuffle the deck. Rey let BeeBee borrow her hand as she proceeded to rub his belly into a tongue-lolling stupor.

“If I win, you sneak into Ahmed's mansion and deliver him an unsanctioned dream.”

She reached across the way to cut the deck in Finn's palm, but there quickly became no need to.

The pile spilled onto the floor as his eyes went wide in surprise.

“Sister, that is going a bit too far,” he said, voice taking on a sterner tone he hadn't used with Rey in years, as they gathered up the fallen deck.

Rey simpered in challenge.

“As if we haven't given the vizier a dream or two before.”

“Yes – because he specifically _asked_ for our help, opened his window to us on special occasions.” Finn retorted, accepting the cards Rey had gathered, the deck reformed in his hand. “In mother and father's time, Dream Dusters were _forbidden_ from influencing the lives of politicians in office.”

Even the casual mention of her parents made a pang of discomfort travel through Rey's chest.

“Oh, what, do you honestly think he'd be irate about receiving a simple, pleasant dream?” she argued, ignoring her pain.

“I don't mess with people in power, Rey. I just don't.” he said, voice hard.

Rey narrowed her eyes.

“Chicken,” she coughed into her hand. His gaze snapped to hers.

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry, something just got stuck in my throat.”

“Yeah, sure it did.” Her flash of a grin betrayed her intentions.

“I am not -” Finn huffed, slapping the deck onto the floor.

“Not a what?”

“I am not a coward!”

“Not the word I used.”

Finn's eyes were daggers.

“I am not a chicken! Forgive me, if I don't want to get arrested and have a mark on my record that keeps me from getting into flight school!” he yelled, startling BeeBee and prompting the critter to whip around onto his stomach and growl at him.

Rey _shushed_ both him and the fox, calming the creature with two slow strokes down his back. She continued in a softer tone.

“Ahmed knows us, Finn. We've been an invaluable adviser to him, more than once with our work. He was more than willing to write down his name as a reference on your application for flight school. If we got caught, the most you might have to do a bit of service to the community. Do you honestly think Ahmed would keep you cooped up in The Canyon for months?”

“No, but I'd rather not find out what that cavern of cells looks like on the inside. People get sick from dehydration in there.”

Rey huffed in indignation.

“You were a lot more fun when you were younger,” she griped, scratching BeeBee behind his ears as he whimpered with joy. Finn's eyebrows shot up at that.

“I'm not fun?” Finn said, voice low and deadly serious. Her eyes went wide.

“No, no, no! I didn't mean it like-”

“Well how about this then – if _I_ win this last round, before I leave Jakku, you have to ask someone out!”

Rey's jaw dropped.

“And go on at least two dates with them.” Her expression soured.

“That is completely unfair!”

“No, it isn't! You get to pick the person, entirely on your own, you don't need my approval or anything. And, if they turn out not to be for you, you can let them down easy after the second date.”

“I'm not asking someone out _on a dare!_ ” she yelled, loud enough to startle BeeBee so bad, he streaked across the room, through the open window slats, and back outside.

“What, not romantic enough for you?” Finn teased.

Rey gawked, trying to come up with a retort, but how could she when her face was on fire?

Finn cocked his head to the side, realization dawning on his face.

“Really? That's been your trouble all this time?” he said, more curious than niggling. “My rough-and-tumble, untameable older sister, a pining romantic?”

“That's enough, Finn.” she said, starting to boil over.

“I can't believe it! I just thought you weren't interested in relationships at all! And now it comes out that all along, you've been waiting for Prince Charming to come sweep you off your feet and for you to ride off into-”

She punched his shoulder, hard.

When he clutched his arm in pain and met her eyes, bewildered, she stared back at him with an angry enough gaze to spontaneously set a piece of cloth aflame – at least, it would have, if had she chosen to learn the arts of Pyrites instead of Dream Dusters.

Finn's gaze softened.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made fun of you.”

Her voice came out hard as she held out her hand, silently asking to cut the deck. Finn handed it to her.

“There's nothing wrong, whatsoever, in searching for meaningful, lasting love or companionship. Even if it's fantastic or impossible at first glance.” She returned the deck to him and he began to deal the cards.

“I can't believe you'd say something like that to me when you and Poe are so completely enamored with each other and have come up with a million pet names for one another.”

Finn chuckled.

“You're quite right about that.” he said, gathering up his cards and glancing over them. “Though I doubt 'a million' is an accurate estimate.” This, at least, wrestled a tiny smile out of Rey, her deal in her hand as well.

“You keep searching for that Prince, Rey. Or Duke, or Lord, or...whatever...” he said, patting the hand that didn't hold her cards.

“Do the stakes still stand though?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow. Finn grinned.

“I'd be willing to decrease to just one date.”

“Done.”

They shook on it and began to play, musing over their hands and trying to make careful blind trades to get better cards.

After three rounds of swaps, and many mediocre and bad poker faces, they were both settled on their choices.

Finn laid out his hand with a smirk.

“Straight,” he said, eyes gleaming triumph.

“No you're not!” Rey exclaimed, automatically, producing a massive eye-roll from Finn. Rey finally gave in and huffed out a sigh.

“Well played, brother.” She set down her hand without ceremony.

“Four of a kind.”

Finn's jaw hit the floor, lips quirked in a slightly indignant, proud grin, as Rey crowed with laughter.

It took them only a moment or two to gather their scarves about them, clamber out the window and take to the roofs again.

~*~*~*~

Finn and Rey stayed side-by-side as they ran to the other side of town, searching for the distinct triple spires of the vizier's mansion with the aid of the street's guttering torch lights. Even once they reached the sprawling home and jumped nimbly to street level, Rey had to keep jogging in place to keep warm in the frigid air. She and Finn almost never went out Dream Dusting quite this late at night these days – they preferred to get their work done early and spend the Sacred Hour resting.

They rounded the mansion, hugging the walls as they went, keeping to the shadows just as their parents had taught them.

“It's been nearly half a year since we've been here,” Finn muttered under his breath, his scarf dampening the sound of his voice. “Was Ahmed's window on the east or west side of the building?”

“Definitely east, brother. You know that as an Alchemist he likes to greet the rising sun each morning.”

“Excuse my forgetfulness, little sister,” Finn murmured, eyes twinkling “but even I have my flaws, sometimes.”

Rey rolled her eyes and followed him to the alley-facing side of the mansion, eyes scanning up the baked adobe walls, surprised at the sight of the periwinkle blue curtains fluttering in the slight breeze, the light of the moon glancing off the glass.

“He left the windows open tonight? That's unusual.” Rey murmured, as Finn started his climb up, swinging from the wooden beams embedded in the walls to support the baked-clay structure. “He didn't ask for us this week did he?”

“Nope,” grunted Finn, as he leapt from the opposite wall and landed gingerly on Ahmed's window sill.

As sudden as a lightning strike, Rey felt her intuition rapidly expand, painfully so. She clutched her head with a gasp, so blinded was her mind by the lurch of warning and panic in the Ethereum, not to mention a definite undercurrent of deadly darkness.

“ _Finn!_ ” she hissed up at him, her brother whipping around to face her. “ _I take it all back, forget the dare! Something is seriously wrong – we need to go!_ ” she whispered furiously.

Finn's brow furrowed, and he closed his eyes as his feelings searched through the mottled messages and crystallized energies of the stars. He shook his head, determined, meeting her eyes.

“ _I don't sense anything wrong, Rey. Trust me on this one, it'll be fine. I'll be in and out in two minutes._ ”

And with that, he leapt inside.

“ _Finn, no!_ ” Rey whispered, but it was pointless, he was already gone out of earshot. “ _Thirteen_ _Hells_ _..._ ”

She swore in frustration and charged at the wall of the vizier's mansion, running up it and flipping back onto the building behind, spring-boarding forward of off that, and catching herself on the window sill. She briefly gasped in surprise at the maneuver she had just pulled, then hauled herself inside.

She turned to her left and immediately recognized the purple silk sheets of Ahmed's massive bed in the moonlight flooding through the window – they had indeed picked the right room.

There was just one massive problem.

It wasn't Ahmed sleeping in his bed.

Instead, under the covers was a dark, hulking beast of a man, skin vibrating black as night, as shadow energy surged about him in bolts, the sound like crackling coals as he shuddered with restless sleep. The moonlight failed to illuminate his face, but it was clear as day to any who knew about the Mystics in the Emperor's court, and the wicked magicks they possessed, that the Emperor's Hand had been given the vizier's own bed to sleep in.

Finn stood, frozen in shock, at the foot of the bed. Rey approached, circling wide and going to his side, into his peripheral vision so as not to startle him. His eyes darted in her direction.

She waved at him to return to the window.

Snapping out of his fear, he nodded and began to tip-toe in her direction, following her back to the window.

She tentatively clambered out, tossing herself to crouch on a support beam outside.

Finn reached over the sill, finding his handholds, when he lost his balance for only the briefest moment.

Rey clapped her hands over her mouth to silence her scream, but he didn't fall.

He did, however, have to rest his knee on the window sill to catch himself.

And the wood _screamed_ with strain.

The sound of wood hitting brick was thunderous, and a whip of shadows constricted itself around Finn's throat, yanking him backwards into the bedroom.

“ _FINN!_ ” Rey screamed, back up on the window sill in seconds, prepared to fight anyone and everyone inside to rescue her brother.

A Nox dressed in imperial guard's clothing had her brother on his knees in front of him, choking him out with undisguised vitriol.

A weapon. She needed a weapon.

Her eyes flew frantically about the room, and spotted a thick, potted bamboo plant in the corner nearest the window, ripping a stalk of the sturdy plant from the planting soil without hesitation. It wasn't unlike the staff her father had taught her basic combat with as a tween. By the time she was sixteen, she could take down Finn in all-out, one-on-one fight, easy.

But by the time she whipped back around to face the guard, being armed had little meaning.

For between her and her brother stood a specter of which ghost stories and tales of warning had been told for generations. An Inferi, or demon-spawn, that seemed to be entirely made of shadows and cinders, burnt crisps that crumpled and fluttered in the breeze as he moved, sinuous and slow. He always took on the appearance of an imposing, hulking, cloaked man, dressed from head to toe in black leather armor. Even his face was concealed in shadow, and a deadly ember hotter than the 13th level of Hell sat concealed within his chest, its heat and light beating like a surrogate heart.

He had gone by many names across the years – especially since many a man, Darth Vader being the last, had carried the title of the Emperor's Hand and had powers like his.

The Nightmare's Executioner.

The Feral Flame.

The Deal-Maker of Daemons.

Hell's Champion.

But to most frightened children, he was known simply as the Man of Ashes.

A charcoal barrier shaped like a six-pointed star hid his face, turning spherical at the crown of his head, flaring out dramatically at each side of his jaw, the dark magick helmet concealing his whole head from view. Except for the thin slit of foggy, green-tinted glass, beyond which glinted his dead, dark eyes.

And they were staring right at Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! :)


	4. Chapter 03

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey has a private conversation with the Man of Ashes.
> 
> It does not go as planned.

“Let my brother go.” said Rey, iron in her voice, brandishing the bamboo staff, though her heart was pounding fearfully in her chest.

The Nox narrowed his pale, milky eyes, glancing only briefly at his stoic master. The statuesque shadow gave no indication that his guard should do anything of the sort.

“And why should I do that?” the blonde guard said, his tone clipped and his accent posh like those of the Imperial court. “Trespassing in his Lordship's chambers, at this hour of night? How am I to assume anything less than attempted murder, punishable by immediate death?” he asked, tightening his hold on her brother's throat, his eyes wide, practically bulging out of their sockets.

“ _No, please!_ ” Rey shrieked, pulse quickening, speaking at a frantic pace “ _It was an honest mistake!!_ We were coming to deliver a dream to the vizier – these are his chambers!! We regularly serve him, you need only ask Ahmed to know I speak the truth!!”

The guard looked to the Hand again. He remained silent – the Inferi's decision was clear.

“Mistake or not it matters little, Dream Duster,” said the guard “No one enters the Hand's chambers without invitation and leaves with his life.”

The Nox yanked on his whip of shadows, pale eyes gleaming with sick pleasure as Finn choked and heaved, trying and failing to draw breath.

They were going to kill him. They were going to make an example of her only family left because they'd simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In the moment, it mattered not to her that the galaxy's darkest servant stood between her and her brother.

A scream tore from her throat and blind fury launched her forward, scarf catching the air like a kite, her staff pulled back for a bone-breaking swing at her brother's captive.

She didn't even make it two steps.

The shadows of the room came alive and darted forward like pythons, latching onto her ankle and slamming her to the floor hard enough for her breath to explode from her lungs. Head spinning and vision blurry, she was heaved into the air, her numb fingers promptly dropping her bamboo staff.

Hanging by her ankle, she was raised to the eye-level of the Emperor's Hand. The Man of Ashes, upside-down to her eyes, scrutinized her, unblinking, and at such proximity, she could feel the dark energy rolling off of him in sickening, murderous waves.

As soon as her vision cleared, Rey began to struggle, trying in vain twist out of the shadow's grasp on her leg.

Finn was turning deathly pale, seconds away from collapsing on the carpet.

She screamed in horror, almost breaking her ankle with the effort of contorting her body. Her eyes filled with what felt like molten tears.

“ _NO!! LET HIM GO!!_ ” she shrieked with terror.

And she saw the moment her eyes filled with brilliant, golden light, bright enough to blind, for her eyes were reflected back at her in the thin slit of green glass through which the Man of Ashes stared.

He raised the hand that was not frozen at his hip, controlling the shadows of the room, in an abrupt signal.

Immediately, the Nox retracted his whip, and Finn collapsed on the floor, coughing and retching, but alive, the color quickly returning to his face.

“My Lordship-” began the guard. But he was promptly cut off by the most unnaturally deep voice Rey had ever heard. To her ears, it sounded as if the Man of Ashes' voice had taken on the quality of one of those massive leviathans of Ancient Times, supposedly living and ruling in the dark depths of seas on far-off planets, voices rumbling and echoing across the ocean for thousands of miles in infrasonic tones only they could hear.

At least, that's what she had read in her childhood favorite bestiary.

“Restrain the boy and take him outside. I wish to discuss this matter with her alone.” The Nox hesitated for only a slow moment before he nodded and launched the whip from his palm at Finn's back, seizing his wrists and tying them together. In one swift motion, her brother was yanked to his feet and dragged through the bedroom door, the wooden panel slamming back into its frame right behind them.

The Man of Ashes turned his right, gloved hand palm up, and Rey turned with it, dropped back onto her feet abruptly. Though she wobbled, she did not lose her balance. The shadows were quick to release her ankle and restrain her wrists similarly to Finn's.

“It's unusual for a Dream Duster to be so...spirited...” the Inferi mused. Rey trembled at the thought of being left alone with this monster, who could take whatever he wanted without retribution due to his status and rank. But more than that, she wondered why his rage had been so quick to dissipate.

So she did as her parents had always taught her, and held her head high.

“What do you want with me?” she asked.

“ _I_ will be asking the questions here.” said the Man of Ashes, ashy particles rapidly circling him like a disturbed flow of crows, angry and sudden, and though his tone grew no louder, the crisp harshness of it left no room for argument. “And as your partner-in-crime's life depends on the quality of your answers, I suggest you, at least, address me as Lord.”

Rey's eyes widened and nostrils flared. A tense, silent moment passed, but Rey was quick to recall the raw fear she felt for Finn's life.

“Understood, your Lordship.” she said, her tone tense. The Hand nodded, his shoulders relaxing a bit.

“What is your name, Duster?” the Inferi continued.

“Rey Somnus.” Rey answered, dryly. The Hand's dark eyes widened.

“Ah, yes, the Somnus tribe. Respectable strain of the Outer-Rim systems' Dusters. I know your humble family well.” He paused, her intuition picking up on hints of sparks festering and circling a shrewd mind.

“And yet, I've never heard of any Outer-Rim Dusters having glowing eyes before...you must be...unique...”

Rey swallowed the bit of acidic bile she felt building at the back of her throat. She couldn't fathom what significance her occasionally glowing eyes (a quirk she'd had all her life) would matter to the Hand. But, given the Imperial court's obsession with the purity of blood and quality of breeding, she could only assume he thought her to be some unusual, exotic hybrid – equal parts intriguing and disgusting, like a mutt he was trying to trace the heritage of.

“And the boy, who is he?”

“He's my brother – Finn.” she said, tacking on his name as an afterthought.

The tinted glass could not conceal the sudden furrowing of the Inferi's brow. She could tell he was scrutinizing her light skin, short-build and brown hair, and perplexed as to how she could share genes with tall, dark, wide-framed Finn.

“Adopted brother, your Lordship.” she said, a hint of sarcasm coloring her voice.

“Ah, I see. And pray-tell, Rey Somnus – as you've already been so willing to explain why I should consider such a guilty party innocent – what would you be willing to give in exchange for your brother's life?”

Rey's breath caught at the suggestion of this glimmer of hope. If the Man of Ashes was willing to bargain, he would keep his word of agreement to the letter. Such was the nature of all binding deals made by Nightmare-kin, as her Father had called all the Empire's servants.

As such, her answer flew from her lips so quick she had no hope of catching it. The moment she'd said it, she could feel her stomach souring.

“Anything.” Rey said, without hesitation.

The Inferi cocked his head to the side, and Rey was hit over the head with a feeling of complete bewilderment. This beast, who would've easily murdered her and her brother without a second thought, found this answer something to be curious over?

“Truly? What if I took your father's life in exchange? Or your mother's? Would your answer still be the same?” he said, his voice even revealing his intrigue.

Rey did not look away from his gaze in shame, but she did swallow roughly before answering.

“He's the only family I have left.”

The Man of Ashes hummed in thought, and stalled, consumed by the fog of his thoughts, which Rey could not make sense of with her intuition even if she tried.

“Very well.” he finally spoke, not quite so assertively as he had before. “I can see no other path forward. I will release your brother, unharmed and without restrictions, on one condition.”

Rey's heartbeat accelerated drastically as the shadows shoved her forward, narrowing the gap between her and the Inferi significantly. She could practically feel the heat radiating from his chest, from his unnatural heart. He reached a hand towards her and Rey trembled at the thought that he was about to force himself on her – take her virginity in exchange for her brother's life.

In a way, what the Emperor's Hand decided to do next was far worse. And it was an offer Rey never would have guessed he'd give her.

The Man of Ashes kneeled before her and forced her right hand in his with a sinewy, shadow rope.

“If you become my wife.”

~*~*~*~

Rey felt as if her vision had narrowed to little more than a pinprick.

She couldn't catch her breath. It seemed as if her heart had stopped beating entirely. This couldn't be happening.

Why? Why would the Man of Shadows make such an offer – force her into a deal where it was her life or her brother's?

She wanted to tear her hand from his grasp in revulsion, in rage, but found she could not, the tendril of shadows around her wrist wouldn't let her.

“Rest assured, you would be well taken care of,” continued the Inferi, his tone measured and calm, but his words falling on nearly deaf ears. “You would not live as my prisoner, Rey Somnus, but as my lady, an active member of my court. You would come live with me on Mustafar, live in the lap of luxury, want for nothing. We would observe all the traditions and customs of courtship and when the time is right, be wed.”

Rey's mind was on a downward spiral of panic, her heart beginning to race. But in spite of her horror, one thought crystallized amid the chaos.

“How do I know you'll keep your word?” The Man of Ashes started.

“...I don't understand your meaning.”

“How do I know that you won't execute my brother the second you separate me from him?”

The dark eyes beyond the glass flashed with understanding.

“If you agree to my conditions, Rey Somnus, your brother would be a free man – able to go about the galaxy as he wishes. I'll sign a writ of diplomatic immunity if it will set your mind at ease.” Though the Inferi words rang sincere in Rey's ears, his tone was growing hard, impatient. He wanted an answer.

Still, confusion plagued her mind, as her pulse pounded in her head. She didn't dare ask if the Emperor's Hand was being serious; everything from his tone, to the stakes of the deal, to the fact he'd gotten down on one knee indicated that he was. But still, she doubted a man, even one with such influence and power, had ever made two bargains such as this.

“Why?” she asked, wincing inwardly at the paper thin, wavering sound of her own voice “Why – why me?”

He was standing in a moment, the grip of his hand on hers turning vice-like and brutal, the tingling of numbness quick to spread into her fingers. He pulled her nearly against him, close enough to smell the smoke of his decaying, curling form.

“I grow impatient, Rey Somnus. It matters little why I extended such an act of mercy to you – you ought to be grateful that I did at all. It would have been much quicker and cleaner to simply slit both of your throats and abandon your corpses in an alleyway.” His other hand shot to her throat, where from his leather-clad palm a sword of fire exploded, spitting and roaring to life a breath away from her skin. The dangerous, broiling cross-guards could easily skewer her jugular with even the slightest wrong move.

“Make your choice, Dream Duster.”

Eye to eye with the Inferi, Rey somehow felt the maelstrom of fear shudder and dissipate. All that was left in its place was a feeling of profound sadness and resignation.

“Will I ever see him again?” she breathed, looking, unblinking, into those two onyx orbs.

His answer was immediate and emotionless.

“No.”

Rey could already feel the tears trying to clog her throat at the thought, and she promptly decided she would not let the Man of Ashes see her cry.

“I agree to your terms. I'll marry you, your Lordship.” Rey said, numb.

The Inferi released her wrists and pulled away from her, extinguishing his sword.

“There. That wasn't too difficult was it?” he said, ashes swirling about him, placid and content. Rey said nothing, but gave him a clear look with her eyes that conveyed, if had she the means, she would have slain him where he stood.

With a gesture of his fingers, the shadows behind him separated from the wall and wrapped around the doorknob, yanking open the door and revealing the guard and her brother once more.

“Release the boy. He is free to go.” commanded the Hand. The guard, though clearly perplexed, did as his master said, unshackling Finn's wrists from the shadow whip.

Finn's expression turned frantic as he was shoved towards the balcony's arched windows.

“Rey – what did you do?! What bargain did you make?!” He threw himself at the guard, fighting against being thrown out of the mansion. “Whatever you agreed to, it's not worth it!! Take it back while you still can!! REY!!”

“I'm sorry, little brother...Goodbye.” Rey breathed, finding it impossible to put the same amount of strength behind her words she'd had before. She was barely holding back her tears as it was.

Finn's eyes went wide at the sound of her quiet words and threw him off just enough for the guard to seize the moment and toss him into the mansion's courtyard. Rey feared not, her brother had always landed on his feet. She just hoped he wouldn't try to do anything else stupid.

“Go on now – on your way!” yelled the guard over the banister.

At that same moment, General Hux arrived at the bedroom's door.

“Sir, you instructed me to wake-” The gangly ginger guard started at the open door and the strange girl with his master, but was quick to recover, “-you the moment _The Plexip_ was refueled and flight-ready.”

“So soon already, General Hux?” inquired the Man of Ashes, clearly annoyed by the intrusion.

“She'll take off the minute you command it, sir.” Even grief-stricken as Rey was, she could detect the snide sarcasm in the General's tone.

“Excellent. General Hux, this is Rey Somnus. She is my guest and is to accompany us on our return journey to Mustafar.” The General visibly stiffened at that, either disgusted or insulted, she couldn't tell which.

“For what purpose, Lord Kylo Ren?” Hux said, chewing his words spitefully, his blue eyes flaring like embers in his anger.

Rey's gaze darted in her new fiance's direction. She'd agreed to marry him, and she didn't even know his name until this moment. It hadn't even crossed her mind to ask him for it.

She could almost hear the grin in Kylo's words when he answered.

“I intend to marry the girl, if you must know, General.”

Hux looked like he didn't know whether to turn red with rage, or pale with nausea. The shoulders of his pristine jacket smoldered with barely restrained flame.

“We shall see what the Emperor will say to that, your grace.” said Hux, looking at Rey like she was little more than the filth beneath his boots.

“Indeed, we shall,” retorted Kylo Ren, dryly. He abruptly turned to face her, startling her. “Come along, my dear. It's time we left this sordid planet behind.”

She followed the direction of the wide, inviting sweep of his arm. Thankfully, he didn't try to put his hand on her shoulder as she walked through the corridors of the vizier's mansion, down the flight of steps, and back into the frigid night, sandwiched between Hux and the Man of Ashes.

Her fiance. The man she would spend the rest of her _life_ with.

How could everything have gone so wrong, so quickly?

“One more thing, Rey Somnus,” Kylo whispered low, suddenly at her left shoulder, in step with her like the shadow he was, scrappy ashes fluttering off into the chilled night air like leafy detritus “If you should make any attempt to run off, or else prevent our union – I will consider our bargain, and your brother's life, forfeit.”

If it hadn't already, that would have been the moment Rey's heart shriveled up into a chunk of stone and dropped into her stomach to rot.

“Do I make myself clear, my Lady Rey?”

She met his eyes, and made a decision then. The same proud anger from her childhood that she defended her noble work with came roaring back to life.

This injustice could not stand, she wouldn't allow for it. She couldn't run? Fine. She couldn't sabotage the marriage? So be it. She would then, at every single moment she could, light her own little fires of rebellion.

At every tiny opportunity, she would make this beast's life a living hell.

“Perfectly clear, Lord Kylo.” Rey said, her tone placid as she spat his name like a curse, her eyes burning holes into his skull with her raw hatred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! :D


	5. Chapter 04

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey boards the Man of Ashes' ship and leaves behind everything from the world she knew.  
> ...Well, almost everything...
> 
> She gets to know some of the staff in Kylo's employ, and receives unexpected news.

The streets of Niima were quiet and cold, indifferent to the small party of guards and Imperial officers that surrounded Rey, Hux, and Kylo, and escorted them back to the town square. Rey wrapped her scarf securely about her head and shoulders to keep out the chill, but found that it did little to warm her heart. They passed by many an abandoned merchant stall on their way to the bell tower. The evidence of the night's celebration was everywhere – in the pigmented-dust covered awnings, in the soot smudged brick from the fireworks, in half-eaten sweet meats and pastries left for the rats to devour.

Indeed, though the deadened night life of the city was not the last thing Rey thought she'd ever see of Jakku. Given the circumstances, she found it to be an appropriate funeral march.

The high-beam floodlights of Kylo's personal shuttle, _The Plexip_ , seemed blinding and alien in Niima's dusty square. Rey had to blink harshly, and even then, auras lingered persistently on her corneas. Soldiers and officers alike were scurrying about the ship like ants, eager to please their queen in performing their final safety checks and packing up any remaining cargo.

Rey was stopped in her relentless forward movement toward the gang-plank by a sudden hand on her shoulder.

Even if she had wanted to shove Kylo's hand off as roughly as possible, she couldn't have – he removed his palm immediately when she stalled.

“Captain Phasma!” he called through the blinding light, rumbling infrasonic voice still quite audible, despite the roar of the firing engines. Out of the haze came a female officer in immaculate silver armor, including a smart helmet, with ergonomic lines, a black glass lens, and small horns emerging from the fore-head, that concealed her face – a Dragoon, if her father's descriptions of the metal-bending knights' order was accurate.

“Yes, your Lordship?” she said, subservient but quick, direct, very clearly an officer not to be trifled with.

“See to it that my guest, Rey, is comfortable, but not...freely roaming about the ship.”

“Understood, sir.” said Phasma, seizing Rey's arm in a vice-like grip and dragging her away from the Man of Ashes, who swiftly vanished into the crowd in a swirl of cinders. No doubt, she was headed for a holding cell. The indignity of it all made Rey finally snap.

“Get your hands off me, you filthy beetle!” Rey raged, yanking her arm free with enough of a struggle, managing just they reached the bottom of the ramp. “I'm perfectly capable of walking myself!”

Rey received a swift punch to the head, falling onto her hands and knees with a sharp cry. Captain Phasma leered over her, the metal armor on her arm shooting outward in the form of protective spines, her metal armor a living set of scales she could manipulate at will.

“You will address me as Captain Phasma, gutter Duster! I care not for whatever diplomatic immunity you have with his Lordship, it will not protect you from disrespecting me!! I am not some lowly mercenary Golem, working for the highest bidder!!”

Despite the deadly blades pressed to Rey's throat, she was immediately distracted by movement just beyond the halo of _The Plexip_ 's floodlights. It seemed to be a man, roughly the same build and height as-

The long scarf gave it away.

Her heart plunged into despair. If Finn tried to rescue her, he would surely be shot on sight. She prayed to whatever Gods of the Ethereum were watching them that night that he wouldn't do anything that foolish.

The Gods weren't listening.

A path opened amongst the few lingering troops still not aboard, and Finn charged for the ramp, BeeBee at his heels, screaming out a battle cry. Phasma was quick to rise and draw her chrome cross-bow from her shoulder, a mercury arrow melting into existence, attaching to the laser bolt arrow-head already in the knock. But Rey was faster.

“ _FINN!! NO!!!_ ” She flew forward, crashing into him at a sprint and pushing him away. He landed roughly on the sand, eyes fearful and confused.

Her tears began to stain her cheeks, large and muddy with the sand _The Plexip_ was starting to kick up.

“ _You have to leave! NOW!! They'll kill you, Finn! I bargained to save your life – you can't let them kill you!!_ ” she screamed. Finn leapt to his feet, tears streaming down from his eyes too.

“ _What am I supposed to do?! Let them take you?!?! Do Gods knows what to you?!?!_ ” She grabbed onto his shoulders, hard.

“FINN, LISTEN TO ME! The Hand, he intends to marry me!!” Her brother's eyes were huge with panic and fear. “I'll be alright, but you have to let me go!! If you try to rescue me – the deal's off and who knows what they'll do to either of us!?!”

Finn was frozen with indecision, gasping with sobs.

Finally, he nodded in understanding, and pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace. Rey broke and began to sob.

“ _I'll come back to you, someday!! I promise, I'll find my way back to you!!_ ” Nodding again against her shoulder, Finn ripped away from her, tearing her heart in two in the process.

He screamed something over the roar of the plasma engines, and though Rey could not hear, she knew he was saying 'I love you.'

“I LOVE YOU, TOO!” she screamed, and she whipped around, dutifully running back to the ship, heart filled with raw panic at the thought that Phasma would fire at him if she waited one second more.

Phasma was there when she whipped around, but instead of shooting her down, she took Rey by the shoulder, significantly more gently, and marched her into the ship. Rey was so perplexed by the Captain's sudden change in demeanor that she was shocked into silence through the brief walk down unadorned, white, florescent-illuminated corridors, taking four turns and strolling down two straight-aways, to get to, indeed, a holding cell.

Phasma unlocked the door with a shiny metal key, the paint on it not even chipped, and Rey stepped inside without argument. The door was locked behind her, but the cell was hardly the bare-bones essentials of a prison. Though the bed-frame was metal and sparse, the mattress was lush and plump, the sheets clean, the pillows downy, and the comforter warm. A metal divider had been set up, concealing the toilet and tiny shower, allowing for some privacy. The towel and robe she'd also been supplied with were softer and finer than any she'd ever owned on Jakku.

After settling on the mattress hesitantly, Rey looked up into the dark glass between her and the eyes of her guard.

“You could have shot either of so easily, so quickly.” Rey said, swallowing roughly, exhausted from the repeated rushes of adrenaline and fear she'd experienced that night “Why didn't you?”

Captain Phasma remained stoic and silent, for a moment.

“I wasn't aware that you made a deal with his Lordship.”

Though her tone gave away little, that she'd made the statement at all, had withheld her shots, meant something.

Rey laughed, tonelessly.

“The fact that I sold my life away to save my brother makes a difference to you, Captain?” Rey said, dully. Phasma still had her crossbow drawn, but at this, she slowly lowered it, and slung the strap over her shoulder again, securing it to her back.

Phasma's chrome helmet seemed to dissolve and part like a curtain of water, shimmering and melting away into nothing. The absence of the knight's helm revealed a severely short blonde buzz cut with a hank of long hair at the front, and quite lovely blue eyes. Though within them, there was a haze of great exhaustion that spoke of a lifetime of soul-crushing work and regret.

“It makes a great deal of difference to me, Rey, as I sold myself into his Lord's service for a lifetime in the interest of protection as well.”

Rey could only nod numbly. Finding common ground with an Imperial officer was just another on a list of impossible things that had occurred today that she never could have predicted.

Rey felt herself soften towards the woman immediately, and though she did not want to feel indebted to the Captain, if she was indeed to be the Man of Ashes wife “'til death do them part,” she was going to need to bolster her soul with friends, wherever and whenever she could find them.

She met the Captain's eyes with sympathy, for she wasn't sure what results speaking the words aloud would have just yet. She had no time to wonder though, for at the moment, a blonde lightning bolt shrieked around the corner, charged between Phasma's wide-set legs, through the wide gap in the cell bars – and into Rey's open arms.

“BeeBee!” Rey all but shrieked, coddling the bat-eared fox as she never had before in her life. “What in the name of all the stars – you scoundrel, sneaking on board!” Against all odds, she laughed with delight. The fox nuzzled into the space between her shoulder and her neck, and in that moment, somehow, she knew that everything would be okay.

“I ought to shoot the creature.”

And then that moment ended.

“Such a beast would not be tolerated in the Lord's palace on Mustafar. Much too loud and noisy and chaotic. A quick death by bolt, now, would be a mercy.” Rey's eyes went wide at Phasma's cold words. But, the Captain's brow was furrowed, uncertain.

“However, you have lost everything today.”

Phasma's blue eyes seemed to become two empathetic pools, in which Rey could see all her life's experience reflected back at her. “A small reminder of your home-world can be a great source of solace.”

And, to Rey's utter shock, Phasma cracked a wicked smile.

“That, and such a troublemaker would make Hux unravel, and that is an opportunity I cannot forego.”

Rey shed the swiftest of smiles.

“I will allow you to keep your critter, provided he does not aid you in any escape attempts.” Phasma said, all business once more, her helmet starting to melt back into place, reassuming its angular, stern form “If he were to do such a thing, I doubt any amount of persuasion will convince his Lordship to spare the beast's life.”

“I assure you, he'll do nothing of the sort. Mildly trained though BeeBee is, he's still a desert fox. He's terribly stubborn, and is hard-pressed to follow complicated commands.” Rey reassured, stroking BeeBee's fur to calm her. Phasma nodded curtly.

“Then we shall have no trouble.” She jerked her head in the direction of the pull-down, take-off-and-landing chair. “You'll want to strap yourself in, we'll be leaving the atmosphere shortly. I'll be back in hour to drop off your dinner.” And with that, Phasma let her be.

Rey did just that, unfolding the chair and buckling herself in, holding BeeBee tight to her chest.

 _The Plexip_ had been meandering through the air already, so it was difficult to tell exactly how close they were to exiting Jakku's atmosphere. Then, the engines suddenly kicked into high gear, the G-forces increased, the ship rattled, and _The Plexip_ fought through the planet's pull of gravity until they were cruising through space with ease.

What Rey wouldn't have given for her cell to have one measly window, but, given _The Plexip_ 's small size, she'd hoped the first leg of the trip would be brief, and once they transferred to a larger transport, capable of ferrying them to the inner-rim and Mustafar, that she'd be able to get a view of the Ethereum up close.

As promised, Phasma returned in a hour with her dinner, which turned out to be served on a plate, not a tray, and to be a zesty spiced bit of cooked poultry, and buttery, delicate mashed tubers, along with a healthy stalk of some steamed green vegetable. Hardly gruel-like prison food, in her opinion. It seemed between the meal and her cell that his Lordship was already making good on his end of the deal, and for that, Rey was grateful. Though, the fire of hatred in her belly still very much burned hot and strong.

The dish filled both her and BeeBee right up, to the point that after having it, they swiftly relaxed into a stupor, crawled onto the plush cot, and fell asleep.

~*~*~*~

Rey awoke to her intuition detecting a stuttering sensation, a combination of anxiety and warning in the Ethereum. She instantly recalled where she was without opening her eyes – the aggressive safety strap in case of emergency landings digging into her hip and securing her to the bed took care of that. Rey idly stroked BeeBee's fur as she wondered at the half-hearted alarms the stars were delivering to her, careful not to wake him as he nuzzled against her chest, closer to her than he'd ever been – she didn't want to give the little creature cause to get fussy and run about the ship in annoyance.

Rey needed only to blink her eyes open to realize why.

Kylo Ren, molting ashes, sat on the other side of the bars, staring at her.

She jerked away with a course gasp, clutching BeeBee to her chest protectively.

“Be at ease, Rey Somnus, I do not intend to part you from the creature – Captain Phasma has eloquently vouched for the beast's innocence and convinced me.”

Rey couldn't bite back her vitriolic retort, not in her sleepy, panicked state.

“What? You wouldn't delight at spilling the blood of a helpless creature?” she spat, her hatred making her heart race, her fight-or-flight response deciding firmly on fight.

Rey almost thought she caught the sound of a sigh of disappointment coming from him, but it was so slight and so breathy, it seemed more likely to her that the fans in the vents circulating the ship's air were simply guttering a little.

Regardless, the Emperor's Hand ignored the question.

“I've come to inform you that there's been a slight change in plans.” said Kylo, all business, but sounding somewhat...weary, if Rey was to be honest with herself. Nevertheless, she did not let her guard down one bit. Tired or not, the man before her was still a dangerous murderer.

“We will not be transferring to my flagship, _The Desiderata_ , straight away, but instead will be making a brief stop on my sire's ship. He...wishes to meet the woman I've decided to marry.”

Rey's heart dropped into her stomach.

“Your sire? You mean...the _Emperor?_ ”

“Yes, my lady, the very same.” Rey made a point of shooting daggers at Kylo at the use of the honorific, but his glassy eyes beyond the green sliver in his visor did not even blink in response. “We'll be connecting with his ship in roughly an hour's time. Phasma will aid you in preparing and making yourself presentable. But, before I go, I wanted to make one thing plain.”

Kylo Ren rose from the worn metal chair, towering above her. The screech of metal on linoleum as he stood woke up BeeBee with a start.

“It is my expectation that you treat my sire with the utmost respect – regardless of your personal feelings about the Emperor, myself, or about the bargain we've struck. Considering his word is final concerning our union, any attempt to present yourself as an unfavorable or unsavory match falls under the deal-breaking tenant of attempted sabotage. As such, not a word is to fall from your mouth that can be classified as anything other than extraordinarily polite. Is that clear?”

Rey wished so, so dearly in that moment that she was a Changeling, and could swap bodies with BeeBee, launch herself from the bed, through the bars, and tear apart the Man of Ashes' jugular.

“Yes, Lord Kylo.” she said, with gritted teeth.

He stared at her for a moment more, as if he planned to say something else. However, he stayed silent, and after a second more, turned and left, vanishing down the other end of the hall.

Rey looked down at the fur-ball in her arms, perplexed, the moment the Hand was out of earshot.

“What's wrong with you?! Back home, all it took was a potted plant being out of place and it would set you barking and growling!” She picked BeeBee up and held him to eye-level. “Now, when the Man of Ashes is commanding me to be a token gentle-woman to the Emperor, I don't even get a peep?!”

But BeeBee gave no response, nor were his pupils blown wide with fear and his long tail bushy and shuddering.

“Not silent out of fear either...” Rey mused. At least, until her mind settled on the only remaining option and her eyebrows shot into her hair-line.

“You became a judge of character now, BeeBee?! You've got to be joking!! That was the single most evil man in the galaxy!! _He's keeping me as a slave!!_ ” Rey back-peddled slightly.

“A slave that lives like royalty and is about to gain some sort of rank – but he's still _beastly!!_ ” BeeBee's only reply was a soft, chirruping coo. She stared at him, thoroughly disappointed.

“Eh-hrmm,” said a female voice, clearing her throat. Rey picked her head up.

Phasma.

Rey unstrapped herself from the bed, standing up with BeeBee back in her arms as Phasma unlocked her cell.

“Follow me,” said the Captain, trusting Rey to follow her lead without a grip on her person, as they proceeded to a room on the outer ring of the ship's few corridors.

Phasma pressed her thumb to the door's scanner, and the white linoleum opened with a _whoosh_ revealing a utilitarian cabin, complete with neon lighting, a metal framed bed, a dark wood desk and chair, and the added odd luxury of a plush pouffe shoved in the corner. Phasma's cabin, Rey assumed, shocked that she was being allowed to enter the Captain's personal quarters.

Phasma proceeded to an attached room, opening up the sliding door to reveal a tiny shower, gesturing for her to enter, wordlessly.

Rey fussed with indecision for a moment.

“If I set BeeBee down, he may tear apart your soft chair.” Phasma glanced at the pouffe mildly.

“He's more than welcome to – I never used the thing anyway.” Rey nodded in understanding, putting BeeBee on the floor. He immediately shot towards the pouffe and starting sniffing about it.

Phasma shocked Rey by releasing a bark of laughter.

“Wash your hair as well in there, it'll be easier for me to style it while it's wet.” she said, retracting her helmet again in the privacy of her room, opening a second sliding door to reveal a closet sparsely decorated with fine silk and velvet dresses. “It's best if I just have them on hand always – his Lordship tends to make unannounced stops at many an extravagant event,” she said, by way of explanation, with the barest roll of her eyes.

“I won't be long,” said Rey, shuffling into the shower and shutting the door behind her. Despite the circumstances, Rey was more than grateful to remove her sweaty desert robes and take a cleansing shower. That, and the rapport she was starting to gain with Captain did a great deal to raise her spirits.

She emerged, toweled dry, in a robe nearly identical to the one she'd been given in her cell. Phasma was still musing over gowns, and BeeBee had decided it would be more worth his time to take a nap on the pouffe than tear it to shreds (though a few small bits of fluff now littered the floor).

Phasma finally sighed and pulled a gown from the rack, velvety, long and figure-hugging, with wide, comfortable straps. “You can never go wrong with black.” Phasma didn't exactly turn her back while Rey changed into the gown, but she didn't stare at her either, gathering a few bottles and powders from her desk drawers.

Rey was adjusting the skirt, tugging it down into place over her undergarments when Phasma turned to appraise her.

“Yes, that should do nicely – we're nearly the same size it seems, even it's a bit long on you. Come, sit.” she directed and Rey settled in Phasma's desk chair.

She hummed in thought as Rey sat.

“No, the dress isn't long enough to hide those boots after all.” she huffed in frustration, pondering for a moment until her eyes brightened. “You live on a desert planet – you never learned to walk in heels did you?”

“No, it was entirely impractical-” said Rey, trailing off as Phasma scurried back to her closet, rooting through boxes at the bottom until she pulled out a pair of black flats.

“These will do just fine then,” she said, tugging off Rey's boots and slipping on the flats, the soles so comfortable and supportive it was like walking on clouds.

Rey mused over the contents of Phasma's room as she began applying makeup to Rey's face without ceremony.

“Is it usual for officers to...” Rey began, voice puttering out as Phasma fixed her with a deadly serious look.

“Assist his Lordship's fiance in preparing to meet the Emperor? No, this would be the first time I've done something of that sort.” she said, brushing on foundation and blush.

Rey was at once startled and immediately put at ease by the incredible vulnerable sympathy she saw in Phasma's clear blue eyes.

“That's not quite what I was going for, Captain. It's just that – there's such a jarring contrast between military practicality and luxury in this room.”

Phasma hummed, and shed a slight grin as she started lining Rey's eyes with kohl, brushing mascara onto her lashes, and filling in her brows with a umbra-tinted pencil.

“A keen observation on your part, Rey – and an excellent metaphor to describe myself as well. Shut your other eye.” Rey did as instructed.

“His Lordship tends to shower his high-ranking officers with wealth and luxury. It motivates his troops to work harder and rise through the ranks...Sometimes even do-in their superiors,” she said, darkly. “I, however, have never been fond of excess. I find gluttony and greed to be among the worst Mystics have to offer this world and cut those sins out of me long ago. Open.” Phasma commanded gently, observing her handy work, nodding satisfactorily. “Close the first one again.” she said, beginning to add bronze powder to Rey's eyelids.

Phasma's words ignited a small fire of hope in Rey again, and she gathered her courage, taking a risk.

“You...don't sound terribly fond of your Lordship either...Captain.” Rey quickly amended. Phasma gave a slight sigh.

“I'm not. At least, not where the indulgences of the Empire are concerned. Especially, when it comes to what he thinks he can get away with by making deals.” Phasma said, an obvious hint of resentment entering her voice “However – other eye – you ought to know that your 'beast' is not all that he appears to be.”

Rey swallowed roughly.

“You heard that?”

Phasma smirked.

“You're not the first to have such thoughts about his Lordship, and mind you, those are mild compared to what I've heard over my years of service. Though his dealings are vile, the Man of Ashes himself is not as heartless as the tales would have you believe.”

Rey's brow furrowed in suspicion.

“I've yet to see evidence to the contrary, Captain.”

“Know him long enough, and you will. And considering you're to marry him, it's practically guaranteed. Open your eyes.” Phasma tilted Rey's head side to side and smiled. “There. Now for your hair.” said the Captain, as she stood, and began brushing Rey's hair, pulling it up and pinning it into a quick, neat bun.

“And you needn't call me Captain in private. Phasma will do.”

She said the words so casually, Rey thought she had misheard for a moment. But there was no mistaking the sudden lightness she felt in her heart.

“And, finished.” she smirked, almost teasing “Dare I say it, you look like an Imperial Lady already,” Phasma said, handing Rey a small hand mirror to examine herself in. Her skin immaculate and rosy, her eyes dark and mysterious, Rey almost didn't recognize herself.

But it was obvious even to her untrained eyes that she looked beautiful.

“Thank you, Phasma.” said Rey, genuine, shedding a smile equal parts thanks and relief. Phasma's smile stretched all the way up to her eyes, and it was then Rey knew for certain she could place her trust in this woman.

“Gladly, Lady Rey. Now, you can leave your BeeBee here with me, until you return from your visit with the Emperor. He will be quite safe in my care.” she said, helmet melting back into place, its surface mercurial and warping, her horns growing back into existence. “For the time being, I'm to deliver you to his Lordship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	6. Chapter 05

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey meets the Emperor.

Rey stayed in step with Phasma as they walked back down the ship to the airlock and closed gangplank.

The Man of Ashes stood there waiting, expectant, hands held behind his back, his ashes leaving a fine speckling of black on the immaculate white floor. But as abrupt as it was, turning a corner and suddenly catching sight of her fiance and captor, that was not what made Rey gasp and run.

The stern had a great bay window, and through it, Rey could see everything.

Every tiny speck of tinted white, every nebulous navy and violet and emerald swirl, distant planets glowing like starry marbles, nearby stars blinding with their brilliant fire. Even the shadow of the Emperor's ship, gradually imposing on her view as they docked, couldn't dishearten her.

She clasped her hands at chest-level automatically, but for the first time since she could remember, she murmured the prayer in her mind with her eyes wide open.

“ _Gods of the Ethereum, Somni Guardians of Light, look down on me in mercy and protect me as I sleep. With your graciously given gifts, I soothe the resting minds of all the world – but you alone can bestow this same gift unto me. You deities of ice and fire, stardust and rapture, greater than all the universe, remind me each day of the preciousness of a single life. Provide me the wisdom to be keen, the forgiveness to have mercy, the sympathy to be kind, and the bravery to be delivered from evil. Blessed be, you stars above._ ”

The words had been embedded in her mind from a young age from saying them over and over again at sunset, on her knees with her parents on their living room rug. Often, they'd settled her heart and helped her rest at night. Certainly, sleepless nights and hardship had forced doubt on her as she grew. She'd more than once questioned why the Gods would bother to listen to the prayers of a Dream Duster child, unremarkable in all the universe. But no matter the difficulties Rey had faced in her life, she'd found her faith a bolstering force that had carried her through them, time and time again.

Saying these words among the stars now, brought unto her a greatly needed moment of profound peace, a sense that somehow, all would be resolved. Even if the moment did not last long.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” The Man of Ashes words, spoken just over her shoulder, ripped her right out of her reverie. He may as well have slapped her, it was so abrupt. She hadn't even heard him move. Rey lowered her hands, unclasping them.

“Yes, your grace,” she said, tonelessly, “I've never flown before and was looking forward to the gazing at this sight throughout our journey.”

She saw Kylo glance at her in periphery, seemingly surprised.

“I thought it was customary for Dusters to make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Celeste on Ahch-To when they came of age.”

Rey's fingernails dug into her palms, compulsively.

“Given that I lost my parents at age ten, I would not have been informed of the appropriate customs, your Lordship,” she said, gritting her teeth, finally turning to look at her captor.

The Inferi turned to meet her gaze at the same moment and froze.

His onyx eyes were wide and searching behind the tinted glass.

Rey was about to snap about why he was staring when he averted his gaze.

“I was not aware you lost them at such a young age,” was all he said, sounding stilted, awkward even. But he said no more about the matter, and the ships alarms were signaling that they had docked, anyhow.

“Phasma, escort us to my sire.” said Kylo as the gang-plank lowered and they entered the airlock of the Emperor's ship.

“Gladly, your Lordship.” said Phasma, stepping up and inputting the code in the number-pad to create a pressure equilibrium in the cabin before they entered the ship proper.

The heavy doors opened with a quiet hiss to reveal a long, curving hallway, unremarkable except for the luxurious burgundy colored carpet and the window that occupied the entire left-hand wall, allowing Rey to take in even more of the gorgeous galaxy as they proceeded down the corridor.

They followed the winding, blood-red path to a bank of elevators, where Phasma called the lift and acknowledged Kylo's command to wait for them there with a curt nod once it arrived.

Rey and the Inferi stepped inside the neon-white cylinder, the doors closing behind them as the lift automatically proceeded to the top floor without prompting.

The lift was wide enough for Rey to stand side-by-side with the Emperor's Hand and have a comfortable six inches between their shoulders. It was not enough.

Rey watched the level numbers tick higher and higher at a painfully slow rate with increasing discomfort and annoyance, to the point where she simply had to break the silence.

“What is the Emperor like, your Lordship?”

“Why do you ask?” asked Kylo, instantly suspicious, though not perturbed, at least as far as Rey could tell. Rey let out a small huff of breath, trying to pace herself.

“I merely wish to learn a bit about the man I'm about to meet – that is all, Lord Kylo.” she said, calm and direct.

The Man of Ashes tense shoulders seemed to droop a bit, his detritus seeming to stick to him a bit more.

“The Emperor is a gifted Inferi, skilled in the trade of the Seers. He can read a mind as easily as a book, and glean twice as much. He is wise, acts with conviction, and brings those who betray him to justice.” Kylo said, trying in vain to keep his tone light as his reverence shined through loud and clear.

Rey swallowed hard, trying to bury her growing dread.

“Am I to address him just as 'Emperor' then or-”

“'Emperor' or 'Emperor Snoke' will do.” he answered, assertive, but not aggressive.

Rey nodded numbly, her mind beginning to race with fear. She'd never heard the Emperor's name before. And she had no idea what the powerful man wanted from her either. She was sensing a developing pattern that was becoming thoroughly uncomfortable.

“Breathe, Duster – your presence in the Ethereum reeks of fear,” the Man of Ashes glared.

Rey attempted to murder him with her gaze in kind.

“And why shouldn't I be afraid?! Nine Heavens, I have no idea what the Emperor wants from me or what he expects to gain from meeting me! I'm just a Dream Duster from an outer-rim planet!!”

“He merely wishes to learn about your integrity and the content of your character!! And let it be known, my lady, I wouldn't have made the proposal for marriage at all if I didn't think you were much more than you seemed!!”

It was not the harshness of Lord Kylo's tone that caught Rey off guard, but the words themselves.

“What do you mean, my lord?” she asked, perplexed. He let out a gruff sound of annoyance.

“I don't have to explain myself to you,” he grumbled, and Rey turned away from him, bristling with anger. They were finally nearing the top floor.

Each deep breath Rey forced herself to take brought her focus back to her, and she gradually calmed.

She grew surprised when her intuition started reading the Inferi's annoyance as unease, and he spoke again, much more gently.

“My lady,” he cleared his throat, trying to settle a bit of coarseness.

Perhaps a cinder had gotten caught in his throat. If she was luckier than lucky, he'd choke on it.

“As I am introducing you as my fiance, custom dictates that...my sire would expect-” His Lordship huffed in annoyance and he was back. He drew up his left arm.

“Take my arm,” he said, leaving no room for argument.

Without meeting his eyes, Rey slipped her right hand into the crook of his arm, resting as little of her weight on him as possible.

One more floor to go.

Rey took a few more deep breaths in an attempt to ease her mind, and straightened her spine an extra inch, lifting her chin and trying to envision herself a true royal already. The mental picture helped put her in the right head-space as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened with a _whoosh._ Kylo promptly lead her into the vast, domed throne room.

The red, circular room was surrounded by Pyrite guards, igneous armor glowing with near volcanic heat, obsidian blades always drawn and ready for the slightest provocation. The roof was thick, reinforced glass, through which the brilliant system surrounding them could be seen, and in the center of the room was a massive stone throne, seemingly carved from volcanic rock.

Emperor Snoke rose to greet them. His bald, wizened face was all smiles, and emphasized each of his many wrinkles, and the pale scar by his right eye. His blue eyes were bright and scrutinizing, and his unadorned, silvery-blue robe giving away little of his status or Mystic abilities. Were it not for the bright, red-orange glow emanating from spot where the Emperor's heart should have been, Rey would not have even have pegged him for an Inferi. His age and modest dress hinted more towards a sorcerer or warlock.

Regardless of her slight surprise, Rey removed her hand from Lord Kylo's arm the moment he stepped forward to greet his superior.

“Kylo Ren, my dear pupil, returned to me at last!” said the Emperor, stepping forward to clap Lord Kylo on the shoulder in amicable greeting. Kylo grasped Snoke's free hand and dipped into a brief but low bow, acknowledging his subservience before speaking.

“My sire, it is good to see you again.”

“And you, Ren, and you. I trust your tour of the outer systems has proved educational?”

“Very much so, sire – and fruitful.” Kylo turned, his arm sweeping out to address her. Rey dropped into a curtsy as elegantly as she could.

“Allow me to introduce my fiance, Rey Somnus.”

Rey heard, shockingly enough, what sounded like a chuckle of delight.

“Rise, my dear, rise. I'd like to see the face of the charming girl my student has chosen for a bride.”

Bewildered though Rey was, she managed to wrestle a demure smile onto her face as she rose and looked upon the face of the most evil man in the galaxy, grinning at her with delight. His hands lifted up to examine her countenance, keeping her eyes on him, but his touch was light and he did not linger for long.

“Ren, my boy, you've certainly outdone yourself this time. A beautiful young woman from a prestigious Duster family – I couldn't have made a better choice myself.” Snoke said, dropping his hands.

“She's inordinately loyal as well.” Kylo added, his tone suggesting a snide, under-handed compliment. Thankfully the Emperor chose that moment to offer Rey his elbow, or she might have ruined her gentile lady pretense by shooting daggers at her Inferi fiance again.

Nevertheless, as Snoke began to lead her around the room, her fingers twitched nervously on his arm.

“Tell me, Lady Rey, has my pupil been good to you? Treated you well?”

Rey's pulse nearly galloped away with her at the question, and her voice might have wavered had she not grown up with a tricky younger brother and learned to be an excellent liar.

“Lord Kylo has been a perfect gentleman, your grace.” she said, even dipping her lashes coquettishly, though how she managed, she had no idea. The Emperor smiled at this and patted her hand.

“Excellent, I'm glad to hear it. When Ren told me he'd found himself a wife on his tour I was quite surprised, you see. I never thought my Hand would ever be satisfied with the monogamous life – he certainly never showed any taste for it in the past!” he said, with a hearty laugh, as if he were making a casual inside-joke, rather than a jab at his Right Hand's sexual appetites.

“But, now I can see why – a stunning beauty like you, it's no wonder he was encouraged to settle down.” Against, all odds, Rey found herself smiling at the compliment as Snoke lead her around to the back of his throne.

“That's very kind of you, your grace.” Snoke smiled at her polite demeanor.

Coming upon two mahogany chairs at a small, polished table, in which appeared to be embedded a crystal globe, the Emperor gestured for her to sit.

Rey's confusion grew as she saw the globe was completely unadorned, showing neither a map, nor a Uni-Screen interface with which to digitally project one.

“What is the purpose of this globe, your grace?” she asked, letting her curiosity peek through.

“With your permission, Lady Rey, I wish to use my crystal divining abilities to examine the content of your character – merely confirm as a formality that you are a worthy match for my Most Esteemed Right Hand.”

Her gaze shot to meet Lord Kylo's, standing idly by over his sire's shoulder, hands clasped behind his back. He nodded at her slowly. The notion of permission was clearly an illusion.

“I assure you, Lady Rey, your privacy is my utmost concern. I shall not touch any sensitive memories of yours.”

Rey steeled herself. She was about to open up her mind to the Emperor himself for probing. There was not enough courage in the whole galaxy to help her.

“I give my permission, your grace.” Rey said, practically feeling herself pale as she spoke. The Emperor smiled. She couldn't tell if the look was kind anymore.

“Lay your palm on the crystal, my dear.” Rey obeyed, the Emperor doing the same across from her. “It may help if you close your eyes,” Snoke suggested.

Rey did so, less to relax and more to shut out the horror of the situation.

A deep breath and her mind's eye took off.

Childhood memories flashed through her mind. Relatively few lingered.

Her rescue of Finn. Raising BeeBee. Meditating with her parents. Writing her name in the Duster registry at age sixteen, Finn signing his name a year later. Their late night Dusting escapades.

Her memories of the deal with the Man of Ashes lingered longest. Had that really all happened just yesterday?

Then her mind became a whir of colors, like a spinning, paint-splattered canvas, and her intuition expanded painfully.

Green.

Green. So much green.

More than green than in a Jakku oasis. More green than she could have ever imagined. And in her periphery, flowers. Huge rose blooms, as large as her head, sprouting into existence, all over the mass of green. Trees sprouted around her, shooting up into tall behemoths, mighty and proud, and bearing gorgeous, plump fruit. The world spun, and the earth beneath her feet seemed to sing with its joy and vitality and suddenly-

She was gazing at herself, haloed by the summer sun, hair loose and floating in the breeze. She was unrecognizable, akin to a goddess, regardless of her plain, fluttering robes, her beauty was so immense it eclipsed all. And her eyes, they glowed beautiful, luminous, liquid gold, like twin suns gracing the planet with their light.

Rey came back to reality with a shuddering gasp, clutching her head as the brutal pain receded. When she lifted her head to ask the Emperor what it was she had just seen, as she could recall no memory of the sort, the question died on her lips.

The jovial old man from before was gone.

Instead, across from her sat a decrepit, sickly man, marred by time and strain – the lines in his face immeasurably deep, a chunk missing from his left cheek, the scar above his right eye now nearly drawing a fissure across his face. He'd glamoured her, hidden his true face from her with subtle, Seer manipulations of her mind, altering her perceptions.

And the monstrous man was cloaked in thunderheads, skin the color of the night sky, and eyes blinding white and rimmed with sinister bright red, every ancient line turned cruel with rage.

“ _ **OUT!!!**_ ” he roared, the sound like a clap of thunder from overhead, loud enough to deafen. Rey dove away from the table and ducked for cover around an outcropping on the throne just in time, because a moment later, the Emperor sent a blast of lightning through the furniture.

The table and chairs disintegrated into a pile of charcoal, the floor tiles and throne cracked and splintered, and the crystal ball, blackened with soot, crashed to the floor.

“ _GET OOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUT!!!_ ” the Emperor howled like a man possessed, the room becoming at once brutally dark and horrifically bright as the lights went out and the deadly lightning ignited the space, sparking and jolting, leaving no square inch safe for long. Rey sprinted for cover around the massive throne and collided headfirst with a tall, sturdy figure. She feared one of the guards had left his post to attack her, but even in the dark, she could see the hunched over forms of their glowing bodies, cowering before their master's rage.

Then who-?

A flash illuminated the dark, star-shaped mask she knew well.

Without hesitation, Kylo threw his arm around her, guarding her body with his, and allowed his ash to explode into a wide cloud about them. The dense, smoky air sent Rey coughing, but she could do little more than hold on for deal life as Kylo pulled her along, sprinting towards the elevator. Though she could barely breathe, the cloud of ash served as a protective barrier – not a lick of lightning touched them, though it assaulted them on all sides, even vaporizing one of the Pyrite guards instantly, heavy, magma-armor clattering to the floor like a ton of stone when he drew too close.

Still, they flew towards safety, slamming against the elevator doors.

A moment later, the lift arrived and they threw themselves inside, punching the button for the bottom floor as the doors slipped shut. They traveled farther and farther away from the Emperor's feral screams with each passing second, as the lift calmly slipped back down the shaft.

Rey fell to the floor, gasping for air. Kylo retracted his ash, his form settling and allowing Rey to breathe easier as she attempted to calm the pounding of her heart, in vain.

She stared at the white wall in front of her for several long minutes, just trying to breathe. Eventually, her heart calmed enough for her to burst into tears.

What happened next was enough to shock her sobs into silence.

The Man of Ashes knelt down next to her and took his hands in his.

“Lady Rey, on my sire's behalf, I apologize. Had I known a glance into your mind would have threatened your life, I would have _never_ brought you here to see him.” The vehemence in his low voice was enough to convince her of his sincerity, but it certainly helped to see his normally angry, furrowed brows turned up in concern and shock behind the green glass.

“The Emperor has never descended into rage upon examining the mind's of others before, so I had no reason to suspect danger. But I was mistaken. Please, forgive this grievous lapse in judgment, my lady. It will not happen again.”

Her intuition heard loud and clear the fear he'd felt for her life, and his heartfelt honesty. But for her, it all rang hollow.

She yanked her hands out of his grasp.

“Pretty words coming from the man who held a blade to my throat a night ago – who ripped me away from the last family member I had and kidnapped me from my planet, for a reason only the Gods know!!” she yelled, indignant and proud, the dam finally breaking. She would not stand by and begrudgingly take it anymore.

The Inferi let his hands rest on his knees, but he did not rise from them. His ashes swirled in as much confusion as his thoughts for a long moment.

“It seems that I have failed to keep my end of the bargain, after all,” he murmured, shocking Rey yet again “The comforts I have given you have done little to assure you that you are my guest, not a prisoner. I...now see why...”

“Well, people tend to feel like prisoners when they're forced to do things against their will.” Rey snapped, violently swiping at any lingering tears.

“Answer me this, Rey, would you have come with me if I had merely asked?!” Lord Kylo retorted, the minimal, pale shadows in the lift starting to dance as his frustration became palpable. “Would have left behind the person you loved most in all the galaxy, your home-planet, if I had asked you to be my wife without some sort of deal?!”

Rey's brows furrowed at his words, but she gave no answer. It was obvious enough – of course her answer would have been no. She knew nothing of the man before her, except that he was dangerous and powerful. She would never have gone with him willingly.

Kylo sighed, languidly, rubbing at his shoulder in annoyance.

“From here on out, I add new tenants to our deal – effective immediately. Your cell will not be locked aboard _The Plexip_ , you may come and go as you please. I'd offer you a proper room but unfortunately, I have no spare bed to offer you aboard my personal craft as it is too small.” Rey nodded, making clear he had her full attention.

“The same will be the case aboard _The Desiderata_. Consider my home, yours. As we are to be married and will share in everything, it is only just. My officers will be instructed to carry out your commands as if they were my own – anything you need they will supply. Aboard, I will have enough staff to be able to supply lessons to prepare you for the Imperial Court. Provided you do well in them, and make a good impression at Court, once we reach Mustafar...I will send for your brother, and allow him to visit you, should he wish to.”

Rey's eyes felt like they were about to pop out of their sockets. Her heart just about took flight, if feebly.

“I can see now separating you from him permanently was...far too cruel. Mind, I'll only allow the occasional visit. Court life on Mustafar is brutal at best and I don't want him to linger and make a mockery of it.”

Kylo took a deep breath, offering her his hand to shake.

“Do you accept my proposal?”

Rey had to take several deep breaths and swallow twice around her sandpaper tongue before she found her voice again.

“What about the Emperor?” she said, the fear in her tone obvious. The Inferi lowered his hand.

“I shall speak with my sire, in time. Whatever it was he saw that angered him surely won't last. Even his most dire moods shift soon enough. I'm certain if we make a good impression at court, he'll come around yet.”

Still, Rey could feel the fluttering of her heart in her chest, like a bird trapped in a cage. Lord Kylo's hand twitched for moment, but it did not stir.

“I promise you, Rey, as my lady, no harm shall come to you while you are in my care.”

Still, she doubted. She'd heard stories of the Emperor's cruelty before. When he believed someone to have wronged him, threatened the Empire in some way, he hunted them down like a dog and sent the deceased's head back their family as a warning.

The Man of Ashes sighed and summoned his sword of fire into existence, planting its tip slowly in the floor of the elevator, so as not to frighten her with sudden movements. He leaned his forehead against the fiery cross-guards, unfazed by the heat.

“I swear, with the Gods of the Ethereum as my witness, to protect you, with my life if necessary, from those who would bring you harm. If I should fail at my task, or endanger you myself, may the Gods strike me down with fury and Hellfire to serve out a lifetime of suffering in Hell's 13th circle.” Just as quickly, the blade vanished into his palm.

Rey took a deep breath, and after a long examination of his cool, black eyes which disclosed nothing, she gave her answer.

“I accept your amended conditions, Lord Kylo.” she said, voice measured and calm at last. He nodded in acknowledgment, and they more or less rose to their feet at the same time.

They walked from the elevator at a quick pace when it stopped at the bottom and the doors opened. Phasma made no comment, merely jogged to keep up.

They returned to _The Plexip_ through the air-lock as swiftly as they could, the Emperor's Hand informing his Captain of the Emperor's unfortunate outburst as they transferred between ships. As a result, they took off at as a quick of a clip as they could once they'd undocked, making for _The Desiderata_ with all haste. As for Rey, she washed her face, changed back into her desert robes, collected BeeBee from Phasma's half-eaten plush chair, returned to her cell, lay down, strapped in, and promptly felt asleep.

Fear for one's life, and shear catharsis, tend to exhaust one that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! :)


	7. Chapter 06

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo's engagement to Rey is announced to the press. They are welcomed aboard his flagship, The Desiderata.

Rey slept for the better part of the next day, her weary mind trying to restore itself with lengthy sleep. As such, when she awoke, Phasma informed her they were mere hours from connecting with _The Desiderata_. That, and she'd collected food from the galley and served BeeBee his meals personally.

“He's currently running about the crew levels, trying to get out his extra energy.” Phasma added. Rey nodded dully in response.

Still feeling groggy, Rey showered behind her privacy curtain and emerged in her robe to eat, the steak and greens mouth-watering and filling.

“As we are nearing port, Lady Rey, I think it best for you to get dressed properly for your arrival.”

“Thank you, Captain. I'll see to that,” Rey said, rising to her feet, dancing around BeeBee, who'd returned to her quarters for the promise of being given a delicious t-bone to gnaw on. Her hand was just reaching for her tan robes and scarf when Phasma spoke again.

“Lady Rey, this will be the Emperor's Hand's return to his flagship after several months absence. It will a celebrated homecoming. It will hardly be a transfer from ship to ship without ceremony,” Phasma elaborated, a hint of anxiety slipping into her voice.

Rey understood the Dragoon Captain's meaning, paling at the thought.

Just like that, she was going to be tossed to the wolves? Surrounded on all sides by Imperial aristocrats and the ravenous press?

“Ah – it will be a formal event, then. Will you help me get ready again?” Rey asked, nervously.

“Of course, my lady. Bring your shawl with you.”

Scarf in hand, Rey walked down the hall to Phasma's personal quarters again, staying close in step behind her. The door had barely shut behind them before Phasma shed her helmet, and began rooting through her closet.

“To save time, I'd suggest you start painting your face yourself, Lady Rey. Everything you need is in the drawers, including the mirror.” Phasma said, her energy frantic.

“Right,” said Rey, beginning to root through Phasma's desk, drawing out the bottles, pens of kohl and pigment, and tins of powder that she recalled the Captain dressing her up with before.

Rey managed to – rather successfully for a first time, she might add – brush on foundation and blush, and fill in her eyebrows by the time Phasma deposited a pair of red heels in front of her.

“Phasma, I told you-”

“They're dress shoes, my lady, barely two inches tall and very sturdy. You'll be on his Lordship's arm the entire time you're in front of the cameras, you won't fall – I promise you that.” Rey sighed nervously and shucked off her boots, slipping into the comfy, padded heels and cinching on the straps.

She took a few experimental steps, and found she was managing okay.

“Yes, I think this will do,” said Phasma, presenting Rey with a long red gown with a tight, lace-up, sleeve-less bodice, with a slit in the skirt running all the way up to mid-thigh. Rey felt her cheeks warm uncomfortably.

“I can't wear that!” Rey exclaimed. Phasma sighed.

“It's your first public appearance as his Lordship's fiance, you're expected to show off a little. Besides, you filled out my black-velvet hour-glass gown perfectly. This one will be just as flattering on you, my lady.” Rey eyed the low cut of the bodice skeptically.

“You know me well, Phasma, I'm not exactly a bombshell femme fatale.”

“That depends largely on your definition of the term, my lady,” said Phasma, with a kind smirk “You certainly have stood up to his Lordship at every turn, which is no less than what he deserves. You've shown cavalier strength in your own way.”

Rey's mouth turned up in an easy smile.

“Thank you, Phasma, that's very kind of you. But...still...” Phasma chuckled lightly.

“I asked you to bring your scarf for a reason, I don't intend to throw you to the Nightmares with your shoulders on full display.”

With a bit of fussing, Phasma helped zip Rey into the soft red dress, throwing the scarf about her shoulders, and elegantly fixing it in place with a large, silver, curlicue pin.

“You're positively brilliant, Phasma.” said Rey as the Captain busied herself with finishing Rey's makeup, making her lashes darker and more dramatic, and lining her eyes darkly again. Phasma's smile lit her eyes.

“It's nothing really. You pick up on thing or two after years of participating in Court life. I find it useful at marriage announcements to make a Mystic bride's genetics visible in some way – hence your Duster scarf. Otherwise no one will stop asking what your powers are.”

“Is that what this is then? Kylo Ren announcing our engagement?” Rey asked, concern slipping into her voice. Phasma's brows turned up in sympathy as she brushed Rey's eyelids with different shades of dark powder, giving her eyes a smoldering appearance.

“In a manner of speaking. It's not the way an Imperial Court member would have originally done it in the Old Days. There would've been a gaudy engagement ball, and the bride-to-be would emerge looking like a Goddess of the Ethereum were walking among us, and everyone would want to know her name and every little thing about her. Now, the press follow the Court like hawks, hunting down every tidbit of information they can about them. It would be impossible to sneak you aboard _The Desiderata_ , so, it's best to make a show of your entrance instead.

“Of course, there are still engagement balls. They just mean a bit less these days because the journalists have already published gossip and rumors about the fiance, and everyone who cares to know such drivel about them does.” said Phasma, voice dripping with sarcasm as she set the makeup brush on her desk, perhaps a bit too harshly.

“Something's missing – ah, I know!” she said, rooting through her drawers as Rey examined her face in the hand mirror.

“But, you've already made me stunning...?” Rey mused, surprised. Phasma shot into a standing position.

“Rey, you were stunning before I caked your face with pigments. I merely enhanced what was already there – I didn't add a damn thing.” she said, more sternly than she'd spoken to Rey in days.

“If you insist,” Rey luke-warmly agreed. Anything to get Phasma to stop glaring at her like that.

“Purse your lips, just a bit,” instructed Phasma, then, by way of explanation, “You needed red lipstick, to match the dress.” Phasma swiped the light-weight pigment onto Rey's mouth, and instructed her on how to rub her lips together to even out the texture.

When Phasma returned the hand-mirror to Rey's grasp and started brushing out her hair, Rey had to admit, the Dragoon had been right – the touch of red to her lips did wonders to complete the look.

Several dozen hair pins later, Rey had her hair done in a high, tight bun. Phasma assured her the pulling of her scalp would not last long – she'd be able to undo the elaborate bird's nest in few short minutes from the comfort and privacy of her personal suite aboard _The Desiderata_.

“Now come along, we need to be ready to exit with his Lordship the moment we arrive. The press refuse to be kept waiting,” Phasma said, helmet melting back around her head as she rolled her eyes.

But far from it being a quiet, calm ship when Rey emerged from Phasma's cabin, she found herself in the middle of a screaming match between General Hux and his Lordship.

“That beast has broken into my quarters for the last time!!” Hux roared, cheeks flushed with rage.

“That so-called 'beast' is my lady's companion, and I will not have you do it harm because it keeps out-smarting you!” Lord Kylo retorted, voice reverberating and defensive, but not nearly as angry as the man across from him.

Hux's crystal blue eyes turned crimson and practically bulged out of their sockets.

“That _rodent_ is a nuisance and a terror – charging about the ship at near light-speed, startling the troops and galley staff, and making valuable property into his chew-toys as he sees fit – I'll not stand for him ripping up _my last good pair of gloves!!_ ”

“He'll have his own quarters in a matter of minutes – far away from your own!! Can you not let the matter go, you vapid man?!?” Kylo yelled, clearly exasperated.

Hux' mouth clapped shut, and he stirred in his anger like a lobster in boiling water.

“Since it seems my lord can no longer guarantee the safety of my property, it seems I will just have to do it myself...” the General said, deadly quiet. He turned side-long and drew the fire-bolt pistol from his belt, aiming behind him. It was only because his body was oriented so, that Rey was able to see him take aim at the point between a cowering BeeBee's eyes, cornered at the end of the hall.

Rey screamed, or at least, seemed to recall screaming, and charged at Hux, fingers instantly aglow with gold dream dust, prepared to knock him out with it.

Rey was too far from the General, too slow, too clumsy.

But the Man of Ashes was not.

He emerged from the shadows to Hux's right, seemingly melting out of the wall and into existence, knocking the gun from his General's hand with a brutal, fire-charged punch. His second-in-command cried out, collapsing against the wall, cradling his injured hand. Between the burn on the General's hand and the use of a pistol to channel his fire, it suddenly became crystal clear to Rey why Hux, a Pyrite, eternal rivals with most Inferi, served the Man of Ashes.

His powers over fire were quite weak, and tied too firmly to his quickly-changing moods.

Kylo whipped his head in Phasma's direction.

“Captain, see that the General is escorted to the medical bay to treat his injuries. Once we arrive on _The Desiderata_ , he will be put in suspension in a holding cell for a period of four days as punishment for disobeying a direct order from his superior, and put on probation indefinitely.”

“Yes, my lord,” said Phasma, rounding Rey and walking quickly up to Hux' side to drag him to his feet, the ginger man still nearly foaming at the mouth with rage.

“You'd dare _put me on probation_ , because I threatened your lady's-”

“You're lucky I do not have you dishonorably discharged from my ranks, Hux. Think on that in your ninety-six hours of solitude.”

Phasma carted Hux away and Rey raced to BeeBee's side, scooping the frightened creature into her waiting arms.

“BeeBee, stop shaking. It's okay, that dreadful Pyrite's gone now, nothing's going to hurt you.” Rey murmured, trying to soothe the poor creature with long, slow pets as she rose to her feet from her crouch.

BeeBee's shuddering seemed to still with her contact, and he let out a sweet little whine. A shadow loomed over Rey's shoulder and she was reminded she had company.

She looked upon the face of her fiance a little differently than she had in the days passed.

“Thank you, Lord Kylo, for saving BeeBee,” she said, and she meant it. The Man of Ashes appeared to awkwardly clear his throat.

“Given my General's reputation to have poor aim when he is months out of practice, I doubt he would have actually killed the creature but – you're welcome, my lady.” Kylo reached out a gloved finger towards the fox, and to Rey's utter surprise, BeeBee leaned into the Inferi's touch and allowed him to scratch his head.

“How could I not? After all, he cares for you so much...”

“Sorry, my lord?” Rey asked, surprised by his muttered words.

Kylo Ren coughed and dropped his hand, likely not helping clear his airways much, given the mask.

“My intuition can sense it so clearly – BeeBee cares as much for you as you do for him. He has been ceaselessly loyal to you since the day you rescued him and raised him as your own.” Rey's eyes widened.

“How do you know about that, my lord?”

She could almost hear the proud smile in his voice.

“I may not be as skilled in the telepathic arts as my sire, but he did teach me a thing or two to help expand my intuition.” He waved off the brag as if it meant nothing to him. “But, enough of that. Come, my lady, we'd best be waiting at the gang-plank when we dock, otherwise there's no telling what those feral journalists will do.”

Lord Kylo took off at a quick pace, and Rey tried her best to stay in step with him – a difficult take, given his legs were so much longer than hers. She picked up her pace, feeling her ankles start to wobble from inexperience already.

They turned the corner when she stumbled on the long skirt of her gown, colliding hard with the Man of Ashes' shoulder.

“I'm so sorry, my lord.” Rey said, sucking in a breath, dropping BeeBee as he yelped at being crushed, the fox taking off for the airlock at a sprint. “It's the first time I've ever worn heels.”

Kylo's eyes were unreadable, but his offer of his arm for support with instantaneous.

Rey smiled thankfully and accepted it, walking in step with her fiance.

“Brutal torture devices, heeled shoes. I can't fathom why they were invented.” he said, out-of-the-blue, and with a sympathetic tone that managed to border on a dry sense of humor. To her shock and the Inferi's obvious awe, Rey let out a huff of laughter.

“Neither can I, my lord.” she said, punctuating her point as her skirts tripped her up again. Only Kylo's strong hand at her waist kept her from falling.

“Stars above, I'm no good at this, am I?” she said, laughing at herself, as he supported her.

“I'm sure you'll improve with practice, my lady,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. Rey adjusted her skirts, throwing them behind her so that they'd provide minimal interference, and, slipping her hand comfortably back into the crook of his arm, they resumed their walk.

A calm smile graced her features when they reached the stern without any more trouble, finding BeeBee jumping from one shipping crate to another, merry and hyper-active.

Rey's attention darted to the bay window, watching the slow movement of the stars and noting the different planets that the view afforded as they docked – ice blue, periwinkle, sapphire and pale yellow. She murmured the traditional Duster prayer in her mind again, a sad smile crossing her features as she thought of her missing parents, the ache in her heart familiar. The homesickness that suddenly stole upon her, however, was entirely new.

Sensing her discomfort, The Man of Ashes quietly cleared his throat at her side and her moment of distraction ended, and her attention darting back to him.

“I will be formally announcing our engagement today and addressing the reporter's questions myself. Unless there's something you would like to share with them, something of your life that they can sink their teeth into instead of tailing rumors and half-truths?” he said, his normally dark onyx eyes possessing a bit of brightness to them.

“No, your Lordship. I doubt they'd be interested in the thrilling life story of a poor Duster girl that grew up on Jakku.” Rey said, sighing and disillusioned.

“...I would be...”

His murmur was so quiet that Rey almost missed it.

“My lord?” she asked, searching those dark pools for answers, motivation, clues, anything. His gaze ripped away from hers, staring at the airlock as the docking hooks _clacked_ into place on the other side. His mental fog cleared up almost instantly, as far as her intuition could tell, and he whipped back to look at her.

“You'll be beginning your courtly lessons tomorrow. If I recall correctly, there'll be a gap in them tomorrow afternoon. I'd be honored if you would join me for tea, my lady.” The genuine invitation was almost more than Rey could handle, to speak nothing of the tender quality to his voice. She was completely bewildered.

“Forgive me for asking, my lord, but...why?” He laid his free hand on top of her own in the crook of his arm, the touch of his gloved fingers gentle.

“I wish to get to know you, my lady, to hear your story. To talk, just as two people. I do not wish to enter this engagement not knowing my fiance.”

Rey couldn't explain it. On one hand, her skin prickled coldly with suspicion at the thought of being left alone with him. On the other, he had saved her life the other day, and was beginning to show the heart that Phasma had spoken of. It was, at the very least, encouraging, and brought a bit of warmth to her chest.

“Alright, my lord, I will join you for tea.” She could not see the curl of his lips, but it was obvious to Rey that the Man of Ashes smiled, because the brightness reached his eyes. He let his free hand drop away from hers.

Suddenly, though, her intuition picked up on a sharp vein of uncertainty in her fiance's mind.

“And...one more thing, my lady. You...” he let out a tiny sigh “You don't have to call me 'my Lord' or 'Lordship' when it is just us, alone. You can simply call me Kylo. I will not think you rude.”

Rey could neither help it, nor justify it. But she smiled.

“Very well. Kylo it is.” she said. Her intuition sensed his mood lighten, as if a sudden weight had been lifted from his person. Barely a scrap of ash littered the floor about them.

_The Plexip_ 's alarms blared as they finished docking, and Kylo took it upon himself to handle the transfer between ships. Rey's anxiety skyrocketed in the airlock. Beyond the tinted windows stood a small army of easily one hundred reporters, gathered below an elevated podium just beyond the doors, red-carpeted steps leading to the floor and their masses. Kylo typed in the code to pressurize the space and returned to her side, squeezing her hand gently as it rested on his arm.

“It'll be alright, my lady. Remember to breathe deeply and smile, if you're able.”

Her heart-rate did not slow with his words, she instead gripped his arm tighter and tried to do as he instructed, closing her eyes and taking long, slow, deep breaths.

After a pregnant moment, she felt more centered. She glanced at her fiance and gave a nod of confirmation. They stepped forward together, the doors opening before them, and immediately, florescent flashbulbs started going off around them rapidly.

Rey managed to wrestle forth a small, modest smile, in spite of the reporters yelling for their Lord, and the flickering, disorienting lights.

Kylo stepped forward to the podium's rectangular microphone. The yelling and cat-calls for their attention died down the moment he began to speak.

“With my return to my flagship, I, Kylo Ren, the Emperor's Hand, wish to make a portentous announcement. Standing beside me is Rey Somnus, to whom I am declaring my engagement. From this day forth, she is my fiance, and soon-to-be recognized as Lady of the Hand.”

At the mention of her name, Rey swept aside her free hand elegantly and dipped into a demure curtsy, not knowing what else to do. The flashbulbs of the cameras went off furiously.

“I will take a handful of questions at this time – including those directed at my lady,” concluded Kylo, succinct and clear in his announcement. Rey straightened, taking in a deep, quiet, breath of relief. That hadn't been so bad.

“Lord Ren! Does your fiance know about the number of mistresses you've had and your debaucherous past?!”

“Lord Ren, do you have any comment on the Emperor's movements against Coruscant and the Republic?!”

“Lord Ren, can you deny reports of the Massacre at Kijimi and your involvement in the slaughter of Mystic children?!”

“Lord Ren – is it true that your fiance was kidnapped and forced into an engagement with you?!”

The flurry of scandalous questions had Rey blushing and paling at once. She hadn't heard of the Emperor trying to defy the Republic, and while she'd heard of the horrible Massacre on Kijimi, those had been rogue bounty-hunters. The Empire had not even been involved.

And that last question...it was almost as if the reporter knew...

Rey was seized with a moment of sick panic and adrenaline. She almost had half a mind to break all pretense, right then and there, and scream about the deal she'd had to make to save her brother's life. But just as quickly, the moment passed, and Rey said nothing.

Guilt washed over her like the fabled high-tides she'd read about in books, drowning out the sound of disgusting, invasive questions.

Why hadn't she spoken?

Her brother was far, far away from here. Maybe he'd already traveled to Coruscant and begun his pilot training in her absence.

Surely, she could make her plight known and he'd be okay, somehow. At the very least, she knew she hadn't stayed silent out of fear for his life.

But the other reason for her silence that remained, when that couldn't be, was far more bitter a pill to swallow.

...Impossible as it seemed, was Rey no longer fighting? After everything, had she given up, refusing to fight the unfairness of the deal she had been forced into? In some sick, twisted way, did she almost... _want_ this?

She couldn't deny, even to herself, that she was starting to like something in Kylo's company, was looking forward to tomorrow's afternoon tea, to seeing if he would make more dry-humored jokes, if she would be allowed to see more of his secret heart.

In place of the fear for her life that she'd felt the past few days, a very different kind of dread began to emerge.

“Lord Ren, what made you choose Lady Rey as your fiance?!” yelled a Nixie reporter with slicked-back purple hair. This question was deemed decent enough to merit answering.

“It was immediately clear from my first meeting with Lady Rey that there was something special about her. Though she was a Dream Duster from a small town, there was...a unique persistence to her that I have yet to see anywhere else in the galaxy...”

The tender vulnerability her fiance started to speak with ripped Rey from drowning in her shame.

“She is brave, and loyal to a fault. Perhaps the strongest woman I've ever met, not to mention utterly beautiful. And after I saw how resilient she could be, how could I not ask her to marry me?”

The volley of questions continued, perhaps a bit more gently after such sweet sentiments, the florescent flashbulbs still blinding Rey. Her heart beat loudly, fearfully in response to his doting compliments, and how they almost made her soften towards him, almost made her feel adored.

She numbly half-heard Kylo answer a question or two about his travels, and something about an upcoming engagement ball, when she felt the shadows of the world closing in around her. This was too much. This was far, far too much. She needed to leave. She needed to get out of here.

NOW.

She squeezed her fiance's arm. Hard.

“Thank you, that will be all for today,” said Lord Kylo, polite, but with the air of busyness about him, as if he had something urgent to do.

Without ceremony, Kylo's guards cleared a path for them, allowing them to walk down into and through the sea of reporters with ease, continuing down lavish hallway after lavish hallway of spectacular views of the galaxy outside, red-velvet covered obsidian marble, and dripping crystal chandeliers, until they'd reached the window-less heart of the ship, a round little cul-de-sac of suites.

The Inferi pressed Rey's thumb to a finger-scanning lock and logged her biometric-signature, pressing the ID chip in his cuff link on the pad after, granting her security access to the room.

Rey all but stumbled inside as the heavy mechanical lock spun and the pneumatic doors opened with a slight breeze.

A cursory glance around the room told her the suite was surely hers, given the quantity of luxurious gowns she could see peeking out of the walk-in-closet to her left. Another pneumatic door closer to her surely had to be her shower. The wall across from her was entirely window, looking out onto the starry galaxy, with a switch by the wall to shutter the view.

Against the entrance wall, in the room's center, was a delicately carved, dark-wood bed, with a rich wine awning and spiraling bed posts, covered in a plush, burgundy comforter and more red feather pillows than Rey could count. Even if it hadn't been her room, Rey wouldn't have felt any guilt, whatsoever, in collapsing onto the dark duvet, trying to catch her breath.

“My lady, are you quite well?” Kylo had sunk to her knees in front of her, eyebrows furrowed with concern beyond his green shield. He seemed to be doing that a lot, lately.

“I just...I just needed to get away. It was – too much...” Rey managed to get out, between breaths. He nodded in understanding.

“Press conferences like that can be incredibly overwhelming at the start. I will ensure that you are given lessons on how to handle such sordid affairs, and that you sit through as few of them as possible, my lady.” He reached forward to lay a comforting, gloved hand on hers, but she rapidly drew her hands away into her lap.

Her fiance's eyebrows furrowed further.

“I'm fine, Kylo. I just...need to catch my breath.” she said, averting her eyes and staring at the glittering, black tiled floor.

“I...I will give you time to rest, my lady,” he murmured, his tone colder than before, as he rose to his feet, ashes spiraling to the floor and leaving a trail behind him as he circled the bed and went to the far side of the room, a door similar to her own, except smaller.

A horrible thought occurred to Rey and she whipped around to look at him.

“Are those your quarters, my lord?” she blurted out, forgetting for a moment she no longer had to address him formally in private. The Inferi turned to look at her.

“Yes, my lady. My suite is just through this door. But it can be locked from either side...I would never dare infringe on your privacy.” he said, so firmly and sincerely that it left no room for doubt in Rey's mind.

She nodded numbly, tempted to let him leave her. Except a small, niggling, curious thought wouldn't let him leave the room, until she had one answer more.

“You insisted on dropping formalities in private, Kylo. Yet, even when it is just us, you still call me 'my lady'.”

Kylo Ren stalled only for a moment, the ID chip in his cuff already pressed to the scanner.

“That, my lady, is my choice, based purely on my personal integrity, and it is not likely to change,” he said, quietly, his voice lacking any of its previous warmth, his ashes almost surrounding him like a fog, making him appear to truly be a man made of cinders and fire.

The door _whooshed_ open, and Rey barely managed to catch sight of the ornate, red-and-black, king-sized bed on the other side before they snapped shut again.

Rey's head dropped into her hands as she gave into her feelings of despair, and hopelessness that she was losing her grip on reality entirely.

Captain Phasma chose that moment to enter her room, the doors parting for her as well. Naturally, as Kylo's Captain, she would also have the security clearance to go where she wished. She was holding Rey's cleaned and pressed Duster clothes in one arm, and BeeBee in the other. She set the fox loose, and he proceeded to run laps about the room, panting with excitement, while she approached Rey slowly.

“My lady, if it would not trouble you terribly, I would like my dress back now,” the Dragoon Captain asked gently.

Rey nodded somberly, wiping half-heartedly at the tears that were making twin tracks down her cheeks. She rose from the duvet and wandered into the closet to find something appropriate to wear instead, taking her desert clothes from Phasma and hanging them on an empty rack. Finding that the only modest clothes appeared to be among her sleepwear, she changed into a romper-like shift with trailing skirts and made no argument when Phasma instructed her to sit in front of the vanity and allow her to clean her face of pigments and powders.

Her blue eyes, when Rey finally glanced at them, were filled with sympathy. Rey's walls fell in front of her friend.

“I could've said something to the press today. Screamed to them about my imprisonment. But I didn't. Not out of fear, Phasma, but because I didn't _want_ to,” Rey murmured, voice garbled by tears.

Phasma nodded soberly. Rey shook her head and let more tears fall.

“How can you hate him so for his deal-making – and yet follow him so loyally?” she asked with a sniff.

Phasma sighed, brushing her long bangs out of her face as best she could.

“Because I have seen his heart, and he is just as lost a man as any he strikes a binding deal with,” she said, straight-forward and simple, as if there could be no other answer to Rey's question. Phasma seemed to wrestle with something before nodding to herself, drawing up a chair behind her, and sitting across from Rey.

“I was sixteen when I struck my deal with the Man of Ashes,” she began, matter-of-fact, to the point of almost being detached and cold. “I was a young recruit, training to become part of the Empire's navy. I'd always wanted to be a soldier, protect the weak and innocent – at least, that was the naive dream I had at the time. I had a few comrades among my siblings-in-arms, but none that I'd write home about.” A pained smile crossed her face, one she desperately tried to reign back in.

“Then I met her. A Private, hoping to become a Captain, a leader, same as I. At first, we butted heads like a couple of fool-hardy beetles,” she said, with a bark of laughter that was half sob. “Vying for attention from our superiors, engaging in some fierce, friendly competition. The first time she kissed me, I thought she was just doing it to throw me off my game. But, stars above, when she did, it was like everything in the universe suddenly made perfect sense. And the first time I kissed her, I made damn sure that she could tell I felt that way about her.

“We started a secret dalliance, sneaking off together in the dead of night to kiss and lie together on the roof of the base, things of that sort. For a time, no one suspected. And then we grew careless and brash. The Emperor's Hand was on base that day, examining the troops when we were caught in the supply closet. There's no place for love among the Imperial navy – couples that fall in love either go on probation, or are discharged. Both of us being women...we weren't so lucky...” Phasma said, a bitter coldness entering her serious gaze.

“The punishment for such an...'abomination' of a relationship is death. Only the Emperor's Hand could've stayed the executioner's blade. He promised us both high ranks, and lives spent doing what we did best, leading others. The only conditions were that Carina was to be sent to the furthest base on the most out-lying planet he could find, and that I was to be part of his personal guard for the duration of my career. Oh yes, our lives would be spared. But the odds highly favored that we would never see each other, ever again.”

Tears were glittering in Phasma's bloodshot eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Rey cried harder in her stead.

“Every day for five years I hated that Inferi. Wanted to see his head rot on a spike. Wanted to be the one to put it there. After another five, I decided revenge wouldn't be constructive – that leaving him alive would serve the universe better – because if an Inferi with a bit of kindness is his heart fell, he was likely to be replaced with someone far worse. After the last five...I decided, what was three more years, serving a Lord who'd become my friend? Who, no less, has decreed in writing, that on pain of death, once my eighteen years of service are up, he will help me find Carina. Times were very different back when I was in training. Even his Lordship, for all his cruelty and foolishness, came to understand that regardless, love is love,” Phasma concluded, with a watery smile.

“So, believe you me, Rey, I understand everything you're feeling right now. You've seen the Man of Ashes, the Emperor's Right Hand, the Deal-Maker of Daemons. And you hate him with all your soul, and want to protect your brother from him, no matter what. And yet, you've also seen glimpses of Kylo Ren, a Mystic and man no different than any other, with a conscience, and a pride, and a beating heart. Trust me, it is going to be like walking through all Thirteen Levels of Hell trying to consolidate the two. But know this – making yourself feel horrible for finding some scrap of joy in this life, on this ship, in his company, doesn't make you a horrible person, or a terrible sister.

“You are finding happiness in a dark situation – you are making your own hope. And no God in all the Ethereum would call that a damnable thing. Let yourself feel whatever it is you feel. You've done your fighting, Rey, and you'll continue to do it, you haven't given up. You just won't be fighting in the same way you were before.”

Rey buried her face in her hands with a sob, overwhelmed. Whether it was by her own confusion, Phasma's story, or the truth in her words and how the Dragoon understood her feelings perfectly, she did not know.

“ _Nine heavens, what would my brother say to me if he could see me now?!_ ” she exclaimed, curling in on herself. She did not even start when she felt Phasma's arms wrap around her, the sensation of her cool, silver armor comforting to her.

“What do you think he'd tell you, Rey?” said Phasma, rubbing her shoulders. Rey rose form her embrace, wiping at her nose.

“He'd joke that the Ethereum finally gave him a taste of his own medicine and that I'd found my Prince,” she hiccuped. Phasma smiled warmly.

“And?”

Rey took a deep, deep breath.

“And he'd tell me to be happy any way I could – to live for myself, and not to live to constantly protecting him.”

“Than that's what you should do,” Phasma nodded, sagely, offering Rey a tissue to blow her nose in from one of the vanity's many drawers.

“Thank you, Phasma,” Rey sniffed, a genuine smile crossing her face again, not a bittersweet one.

“Anytime, Rey,” the Captain said, matching her smile.

“Could you bring me my meals for the rest of the day? I don't particularly feel like wandering the ships corridors after the fiasco with the press.”

“Of course, Lady Rey.” said Phasma, slipping her Captain persona and her helmet back on.

Rey explored her royal lady's suite for the rest of the day, inspecting every chest of drawers and pressing every switch. She took a relaxing bath in her on-suite bathroom, melting into the lavender bubbles and forgetting for a minute that she had a body, simply floating in her sleepy mind. Phasma brought her dinner, as promised, and left her a small snack in case Rey awoke during the Sacred Hour and felt peckish.

She turned in early, fully expecting that her Duster habits had left her after the reset of her internal clock by space-travel.

They had not.

She greatly appreciated the snack of granola and dried fruit come 3 AM, when she awoke, feeling wide awake as she had at this time, all her life.

She wandered the suite idly, tossing a few bits of walnuts to a BeeBee begging for treats and belly rubs, which she gladly supplied. When he tired of the attention, he returned to his plush bed in the corner, just the right size for his tiny self, and promptly fell asleep, snoring softly.

Rey had no such luck, so instead, she gathered a meditation rug from the bottom of her closet, rolled out the sturdy, maroon fabric, and kneeled, opening up her blinds again and letting her view of the universe outside the vessel envelope her.

She drifted into a meditative state, breathing deeply, and thinking of nothing at all for a time. Eventually, as her mind started to wander, she settled instead on trying to sort out her feelings about all of this instead. After an hour of contemplation, Rey had decided.

She would no longer prove resistant to Kylo Ren and his wishes of engagement, unless his actions or those of his crew warranted retaliation. She would let herself freely explore her feelings in regards to the engagement. She would not feel guilty for enjoying polite conversation with her progressively kinder captor/fiance. She would not worry about Finn, but would instead hope to improve the deal between Kylo Ren and herself in time, to the point where his life was no longer in danger.

Maybe she could even get out of the engagement, but the probability of that seemed slim, at best.

In a way, it was perfectly ironic. Rey would retaliate in the best way she knew how – in the way she always had done when it came to her missing parents.

She would fight back with hope. Ridiculous, illogical, persistent, fierce, famished hope. Hope that things would change. Hope that they would improve. That the Emperor would forget to hate her. That Kylo Ren would turn out to have a heart after all. That Hux would get sucked out of an airlock into the cold vacuum of space. That Phasma would continue to be her good friend and support her through it all.

She thought of the good signs she'd already experienced. The sparing of BeeBee, twice no less, once by Phasma, once by Kylo. Phasma's friendship. Kylo protecting her from the Emperor. The altering of the deal to ensure her safety and comfort, and which would allow Finn to visit her.

Yes, that was reason enough to hope already – more than she'd had in a lifetime of waiting for her parents to return to Jakku. And she let herself burn with the passionate stuff, her meditation becoming more like a strength gathering ritual that calmed her mind and body and brought her back to center. Tiring again at last, Rey stood and returned to the cozy, plush comforts of a bed she could sink into in bliss, and slept, dreaming of feathered things.

Little did Rey know, that she had not been alone in observing the Sacred Hour that night. Just on the other side of her locked door, on his own prayer mat, Kylo Ren had sat on his knees observing the stars, letting his intuition spread out like a blanket.

And he sensed every bit of his fiance's hope and resolve just beyond the door. And the beauty of it, the purity and strength, stirred up warm, longing feelings in his cold, dead heart for the first time in his life.


	8. Chapter 07

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey begins her etiquette lessons bright and early, and finds some unusual characters in her tutors.

Rey awoke to warm, gentle light, filtering through to the underside of her eyelids, and to BeeBee licking her nose.

“Pfft! BeeBee! What do you think you're doing, you little minx!” Rey exclaimed, sitting up and seizing BeeBee in her grasp, holding the vixen up to eye-level and scolding him like a misbehaving toddler. She glanced around her suite, bewildered at the presence of daylight, until she saw the ceiling florescents had turned warm and natural, simulating a day-night cycle aboard the ship, even as the stars slowly rotated outside her window.

The doors to her suite _whooshed_ open and Phasma entered, a new blue tunic under her silver-scale armor, replacing the red one she'd worn for days, her helmet polished to a brilliant sheen.

“Good morning, my lady, I am glad to see you well-rested,” said the Captain, gesturing behind her. A servant, an unnaturally pale, blonde woman dressed in a crisp, gray dress uniform, entered. She pushed a meal cart in front of her, plates of eggs and toast and smoked ham and fruit filling up every square inch.

Giving a brief curtsy in Rey's direction, she left just as quickly as she came, the suite doors slipping shut behind her.

“Please, eat and get dressed. You've a busy day ahead of you, my lady.”

Rey was already out of bed, her nose leading her to the delicious food covering the cart as Phasma bent to retrieve a metal bowl filled with meat stew from the cart's bottom shelf, placing it on the floor for BeeBee to devour.

“Ah, yes, first day of lessons,” Rey recalled, mumbling through a mouthful of delicious over-easy eggs and succulent ham.

“Following breakfast you will be having Mystic and Imperial History Lessons with Duke Pryde, then Social Etiquette with Commander Tico, and finally, Dinner Etiquette with Lieutenant Connix, who's generously agreed to have lunch with you fit your lessons into her busy schedule.”

“Stars above, three lessons on the first day?” Rey said, wolfing down her toast and fruit, washing down the mush with some strong black tea.

“This will not be a constant, my lady. You'll only have lessons with Connix twice a week, and history with Pryde thrice.”

“I imagine I'm having the history lessons so I'll have some knowledge about the Empire I'm marrying into?” said Rey, scurrying to her closet to dress for the day.

“Correct, my lady. But fear not, not all of your instruction will be so dull – you'll be having Presentation lessons with me tomorrow.”

Though Phasma had not removed her helmet, it was easy enough to hear her smile in her voice.

“Presentation lessons?” Rey said, head whipping in her Captain's direction, smiling.

“Lessons on how to 'present' yourself – advice on dressing, makeup, assembling an outfit, accessorizing, vain things of that variety – but, at least I'll be there to make the experience enjoyable.” Phasma said, exaggeratedly posh, making Rey chuckle with delight.

“Yes, I'm sure to enjoy those lessons,” she said, her gaze landing on a gown she found modest enough for day wear, removing it from the rack and disappearing to the back of the room and the empty rack her desert clothes hung on to change.

Recalling her clumsiness in heels from the other day, she cringed at the thought of having to learn to ballroom dance in such death-traps.

“Stars, will I have to take dance lessons as well?” she called from the back.

“Naturally, my lady, once we make the proper arrangements for your teacher for those. The engagement ball is in three weeks after all. That is primarily what we're preparing you for.”

Rey emerged, looking demure and stunning in a tea-length white silk gown, with wide straps and a flattering waist-line, the pattern displaying a smattering of large red-pink roses. Her eyes scanned the rows of shoes, and she pulled a pair of sensible white flats from the rack and slipped them on, eyes wide with panic.

“That soon? I don't even have a month to prepare?”

“Be at ease, Lady Rey. The most important lessons for you to really focus on out of the six are Dance, Social, and Dinner Etiquette – and Presentation, but only if we're being generous. Clearly, you'll not need much help from me in that department.” said Phasma, prompting Rey to flush at the compliment, admiring her choice of dress too.

“The rest are mostly supplementary, there to help you in the long run, to prepare you to become the Hand's Lady. Now here,” she said, dissolving her helmet to better see “let me help you style your hair and enhance your features a bit. You will be having tea with his lordship after Dinner Etiquette, after all.”

“Stars, I'd nearly forgotten,” Rey started, grateful for Phasma's sharp memory to help her.

Phasma sat her down at the vanity and brushed out Rey's hair 'til it shone with soft curls, only pining back two long strands to keep it out of her face. The makeup she applied was more modest than for previous occasions, her foundation and blush still prominent, but she brushed a rose-gold tone on her eyelids instead, and only her lashes were darkened. Rey chose a rich, rosy-pink lipstick to match her dress' flowers, and swiped it on skillfully.

“Soon enough, Lady Rey, you won't even need my help to style yourself.” said Phasma with a conspiratorial smile.

“Thank you, Phasma. But, I'm confused about just one more thing,” Rey said, rising from the vanity's bench and following the Captain to her door to be escorted to her first lesson.

“You said I was to have six lessons, but you only mentioned five.”

As Phasma's helmet was still melting into place, Rey easily caught the brief flash of panic that crossed her eyes before the silver shuttered her.

“That lesson will likewise wait until tomorrow...we'll cross that bridge when the time comes, my lady, worry not about it for the time being.” And with that Phasma led her out of her suite and through the vast halls of _The Desiderata_ at a quick pace.

They left the cul-de-sac and walked nearer to the ship's stem, walking down two long halls, and finally turning into a hallway lined with conference rooms.

“In here is where you'll be having your History lessons with Duke Pryde.” said Phasma, turning her back sharply in-line with the wall and standing at attention, nodding in the direction of the room directly next to her, the suite marked A113.

“Thank you, Captain,” said Rey with a kind smile.

“I will be back in an hour and a half to take you to your next lesson,” said Phasma, and though her tone was largely curt, Rey could still hear the smile it concealed.

Rey entered the conference room, and her heart almost immediately jumped into her throat.

Near the front of the room, beside the oak podium, stood a tall, dark, wispy sort of man, who slowly turned to fix his piercing, completely white eyes on her.

If there was one Nightmare outside of Inferi that she'd heard horror stories and cautionary tales about all her life, it was magick-sensitive Umbras, and their ability to suck the souls out of other Mystic's bodies in order to steal more power for themselves.

Still, Rey gulped down her fear, and quickly. It was clear from the Umbra's smart suit and military stripes that he was indeed the Duke who would be instructing her on Imperial History, and at any rate, she ought not to judge by appearances.

“Good morning, Duke Pryde. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Rey said, sinking into a generous curtsy. When she rose, the Mystic was gazing at her skeptically, but not unkindly. Pryde wandered closer to her, squinting, his shadows trailing like clouds of mist over the floor. He paused to stare at her, for a time.

Rey simply tried to breathe slowly and calm herself. The man before her was more than what he seemed. Meeting his cadaver-bright eyes would not result in the loss of her free will. At least, she didn't think so...

Suddenly, he was knocked from his speculative reverie and returned her pleasantries.

“Good morning, Lady Rey. I am glad to meet you as well,” he said, bowing politely, his tone crisper and more youthful than Rey would have expected, given the jaded, ancient look to his wrinkled, gray-tinted skin.

“Forgive my inspection of your person, it's simply that my lord informed me his fiance was a Duster.”

He paused, as if he expected her to say something.

“...Your energy signature. You do not appear as a Duster to my eyes,” he elaborated, as if the follow-up seemed obvious to the point of being insulting. Rey could only shrug and shake her head.

“His Lordship said he sensed something special in me on the night we first met. However, I can assure you, Duke Pryde, I've been a sworn Duster since I was sixteen, same as all my kin.” The Duke hummed in thought, but made no further comment.

He retreated and leaned back casually against the podium, diminishing the tension in the conference room littered with empty chairs, considerably.

“To begin your history lessons, I thought we might start more – informally. I wish for you to recite for me the History of the Mystics as you know it as...something of a benchmark, to see what general gaps we will need to cover in Imperial History – as well as the specifics of the royal families, Mystic genealogy, and targeted lessons focused on your fiance's family history.”

“The entire History of the Mystics, sir? I'm not sure we've time enough to cover that much history,” Rey said, with a nervous laugh.

However, far from being reprimanded by the Umbra, he flashed her a toothy smile. His sharp teeth fit together in lines like a shark's as he pulled an ornate fountain pen from his jacket pocket and began fussing with it, popping the cap off and clicking it back into place, again and again, his rhythm irregular.

“Indeed, Lady Rey, you've already passed my first test. A comprehensive overview of such a long period of history would indeed be impossible to accomplish in ninety minutes. I am looking for more of a general overview. I will provide you with guiding questions, as needed to keep your summary flowing. Begin at your leisure, my lady,” he said, quite cordially, and thoroughly encouraging, gesturing with his pen in her general direction.

Rey mused over a starting point and a phrasing in her mind before she took a breath and began.

“In the beginning, there was a great emptiness. Out of this nothing emerged the Ethereum and all it's stardust, from which the Gods were born in a sudden, spontaneous burst of existence. With this explosion came time, space, and all matter, from which the stars and planets became the constellations of the Gods. For a time, the deities simply let life emerge as it would on their carefully composed worlds, random and unique, each new life form given equal chance to survive and grow. But upon the creation of sentient creatures such as animals and Dannans, or as they were called in antiquity, Human Beings, the Gods began to take careful interest in their work, presiding over life with grace and mercy. Three Gods in particular took such interest in Dannans that they made planet-fall, and started living amongst them.”

Pryde nodded approvingly, his eyes on the floor, dedicating himself fully to the task of listening to Rey's explanation.

“And the names of these three Gods of the Ethereum?” he asked. Rey smiled.

“The Father, the Son and the Daughter.”

“So named?”

“Because they represented facets of the Ethereum that manifested among Mystics.” Pryde cracked a slight grin.

“Elaborate, Lady Rey,”

Rey began to pace, musing over the History of her people as a story worth telling – both for its wonders and warnings.

“The Son and the Daughter were contrasts – equals and opposites in all things – most usually compared to darkness and light, respectively. The Father contained elements of both in himself, a balance between extremes, as he gave rise to the Son and Daughter. They were his essence fractured. All three Gods walked and lived among the Dannans and came to know and love them. The Son and Daughter took many lovers and partners and produced numerous progeny. This event is known as the Great Catalyst, as this was what brought magick to Dannans, and gave birth to the race of Mystics.

“Both the Son and Daughter adored their progeny, and raised them as they saw fit. As the ages passed, there became clear differences in the kinds of magicks the two families possessed and produced. A divide grew betwixt the siblings, for as one God taught self-reliance, strength, and passion, the other taught selflessness, generosity, and valor. Still, despite their philosophical differences, the Gods allowed their children to intermingle, to exchange ideas about the world and magick. There was peace.”

It was at this part of the tale that Rey's smile started to dwindle. This was where it always fell, for as long as she could remember.

“As the siblings loved their Mystic children, so did the Father love his descendants. However, the Son came to resent the Father, for he seemed to dote more on his Daughter's children than his own. One night, when the planet-fallen Gods were meditating as one, they were given a prophecy from their family above. A God-like entity would arise from one of the two families. At first, neither Son nor Daughter fretted, for neither had the power to create a deity alone.

“However...when the Son learned the Father had granted near God-like gifts to one of the Daughter's children, unbeknownst to her, the Son became mad with jealousy and rage. He killed his Father and his magickal gifts dispersed into the world, coming to rest, evenly split, between the Siblings.

“Since that time, a massive divide has split the Son's Mystics – also called the Nightmares – from the Daughter's Mystics – also called the Somni. Further God-like Mystics were born on both sides now that the Siblings had the power of full deities, creating terrible conflict, bloody wars, and the division of numerous Mystic families through the ages.” Rey stopped her pacing and turned to look at Duke Pryde with a sober expression.

“It is this very divide that resulted in the Great War between the Old Nightmare Empire and the Republic of Mystics, resulting in the death of Anakin Skywalker, and the heroic legacies of the Skywalker, and Organa-Solo families.”

Pryde started, his frosted eyes scrutinizing her again.

“How curious that you refer to him as Anakin Skywalker, my lady,” the Duke said, cold eyes squinting. Rey paled and felt her legs grow unsteady. She grabbed the nearest chair-back for support.

“I meant no insult, Duke Pryde. I suppose given that I'm to marry into the Imperial Court, it would be more accurate to call him Darth Vader.” But despite Rey's panicked, racing heart, she could not seem to stop herself from standing her ground. Another small act of rebellion, she supposed.

“However, it would be false to say that it was Darth Vader alone who died aboard _The_ _Mors Sideris_ , destroyer of worlds.”

Pryde's expression grew more severe still.

“And why do you say that, Lady Rey?”

“Because by then, Darth Vader was a changed man. The love for his son allowed him to rediscover the man he used to be – Anakin Skywalker. If he had not, his son Luke surely would have died at the hand's of the Son's Heir,” Rey said, vehement in her stance, but speaking gently.

However, Pryde neither chastised, nor corrected her, merely stowed his pen back in his jacket pocket and rose from the podium, clasping his hands behind his back.

“One query more than, Lady Rey, and think carefully before you answer. You have given your account, clear and concise. However, I wish to question one of your statements from the Murder of the Father. You said it was an act of rage, fueled by jealousy, and in particular, noted that the Daughter knew not of the Father's plans to induce her child's ascension.

“In the Imperial Historical records, certainly the jealousy of the Son is noted, but also the desire to prevent Dannans rising to the strength of deities, to combat their inherent greed and thirst for power – hence the Murder of the Father was an act of prevention, though it failed. In addition, the Daughter knew of the Father's decision to raise up one of her children, and consented to it.

“Two shockingly different depictions of History, both with hard truths and acts of heroics and bravery. My question to you is – which is true?”

Rey's mind began to race, and to more easily settle her thoughts and answer Pryde's question, she turned her gaze to the geometrically patterned wine-colored rug.

Certainly, one version was more familiar than the other. One she'd been presented with as a child as History, as truth. But just because children of the Imperial court were raised with the other version of the tale, that lauded the Son's Murder of the Father as a dark, but necessary act, did that automatically falsify it?

It seemed so bizarre a question – it felt more like a personal attack than an erudite debate amongst scholars. If she said the version claiming the Daughter innocent was true, would that make her a bigot against the family she was marrying into? She was marrying just the Emperor's Hand, not the _entire_ Empire, but still...

And if she said that the version justifying the act of the Son was true, was she turning against her distant Mystic Ancestor, the Somni God from whom she'd supposedly inherited her magicks? She'd never worshipped the Daughter by name, as her parents had taught her to pray to all the Gods of the Ethereum equally, but Rey still considered the Daughter something of a guiding, benevolent mother figure, if only mildly and deep down.

Rey found herself caught, not just morally, but logically, emotionally stuck. Which should she choose? How was any Mystic to know what had actually happened, thousands upon thousands of years removed from the Gods that had made them? How was anyone to tell what the truth was, when the Great War between Nightmares and Somni had raged for so long, driving a wedge between both sides so they had separated completely, their philosophies warping them into pure good and utter evil respectively (which Rey knew instinctively, was not, could not be true)?

Perhaps that was it, then. Neither version was true, because there was so much bias and hatred and hurt fueling both. But that didn't ring quite true with Rey either. Regardless of greatly differing versions of motivations, ultimately the actions, the events of history, were the same in both.

Rey couldn't fathom it.

Two versions, existing concurrently, neither canceling out the other, but both ringing true.

Could such a thing be possible?

But then, Rey's mind flew to the last Emperor's Hand, who'd at once been both Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker, and just as quickly her thoughts flitted to her fiance, both the Man of Ashes, and Kylo Ren.

A spark of certainty flared in her chest and took, and that was all Rey needed. Rey raised her bright brown eyes to meet Pryde's pearly ones.

“Both versions are true. They can exist simultaneously without one canceling out the other completely, because History is always skewed by who is telling it. It is a complicated and messy answer, and leaves more questions than answers, but like the co-existence of Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker, it is possible.”

There was long, still moment.

And then Pryde positively beamed.

“Exactly, Lady Rey, exactly right! History is completely personalized, construed, altered, and tampered, both by the flawed memories of Mystics, personal agendas, and our inconsistent methods of preserving History.” The Umbra chuckled warmly, laughing at a bit of an inside joke. “But, despite its flaws, it is still worth studying for lessons, and occasional honesty about the perils and promises of Mystic existence. Well done, Lady Rey.”

Rey returned the Duke's smile in full force.

“Thank you, Duke Pryde.” The Umbra glanced casually at the timepiece on the wall at the back of the room and his smile fell slightly.

“It seems our time here is up, my lady. I will look forward to our next lesson.” he said, with a low bow. Rey curtsied in kind.

“As will I, sir.”

Rey just resisted allowing a skip to enter her step as she gleefully left the room.

She fell in step with Phasma as they hurried through the corridors, clean to the other side of the ship.

“So, was the Duke as lead-dull as he's rumored to be?” Phasma said, voice low and conspiratorial. Rey could only gawk slightly at the Captain, a smirk crossing her face at her brashness of speaking so openly in public (though they only passed a few gray uniformed servants and some low-ranking officers in the halls, hurrying on their way).

“On the contrary, I found him shrewd and perceptive! I look forward to discussing History with him...” Rey hesitated only for a beat before she lowered her voice further and continued “I was worried he was going to shove Empire propaganda down my throat at every lesson. Far from it! He delights in the interpretation of History – and all its flaws.”

Phasma could only shrug.

“I'm glad for that. He still sounds terribly boring. All those scholars look like they've got rods up their rear-ends, if you ask me.”

“Captain, you scandalize me!” Rey exclaimed, faking a posh accent, followed by a much more natural chortle.

“You may want to hold on to that fake accent a bit longer, my lady. Social Etiquette with Commander Tico is next. She's _The Desiderata_ 's resident social protocol instructor and master of ceremonies. She's waiting just through there,” said Phasma, turning to stand guard at the doors again.

Rey's eyes shot to the elaborate gold filigree of delicate leaves and curling vines that lined the frame of the double dark-wood doors in front of her.

For a moment, she wondered what the space inside could possibly be, but with a twist of one of the ornate handle, it became clear this classroom was, in fact, a ballroom – the polished marble floors flashing like quartz and tourmaline crystals, the chandelier above massive and blinding with its cascading jewels.

And in the center of the room, stood a short woman with equally short dark hair cut in a severe bob, dressed a neatly pressed Imperial jacket designating her rank, paired with a sensible pencil skirt and flats, skin and eyes glowing like she was a drop of pure sunlight that had fallen straight from the starry heavens, visible through the massive windows at the back wall behind her.

~*~*~*~

Rey walked until she was a few steps from the sun-drop woman, who was staring at her passively. She sank into a curtsy.

“Good morning, Commander Tico. It's a pleasure to meet you.” Eyes downcast, the sudden, quiet intake of breath in the giant space made Rey's eyes snap to her tutor.

Commander Tico's mouth was set in a thin grim line.

“Nine Heavens, you are going to take some work, aren't you?” she murmured, under her breath. Rey's face flared compulsively as she rose and stood erect.

“Excuse me?!”

“Head up, eyes on me.” the Commander ordered, and her tone, though not angry, was so assertive and insistent, had such a precise, militaristic edge, Rey found she had no choice but to obey.

The Commander, several inches shorter than herself, circled Rey, eyeing her like a buzzard inspecting a potential meal, her eyes practically searing holes in the back of her head.

Tico _tsked_ and grabbed Rey's shoulders by force, nudging them and encouraging her to roll them back, her spine straightening an extra inch automatically.

Rey almost snapped at her tutor for laying hands on her, but recalling that Tico was, in fact, a military officer, Rey reorganized her expectations. A certain amount of severity was to be expected from such high-ranking officers. Phasma had been much the same when Rey met her, after all.

The Commander ceased her prowl when she came face to face with her pupil again.

“From which family do you reign exactly, Lady Rey?” Tico asked, sounding thoroughly accusatory, her honey-tinged, starlight eyes flaring at her.

“The Somnus family, Commander,” Rey responded mildly, thoroughly bewildered by the entire situation.

This however, seemed to throw the Commander completely through a loop, her eyebrows shooting up her molten forehead into her bangs.

“From which planet?”

“Jakku, in the Outer-Rim.”

Commander Tico's flashing eyes dimmed to a dull glow. She stiffened, looking as if what she was about to say next would greatly pain her.

“I was under the impression that his Lordship had chosen to marry a noble woman, Miss Rey.”

Rey grimaced, her eyes filled with piercing fire.

“You must not have been at yesterday's press conference, Commander. His Lordship made plain to the galaxy he was marrying a poor girl from nowhere.”

The Commander paused for only a moment, then snapped to attention with a quick sniff.

“No matter. Manners are manners, no matter what pauper heritage you hail from. Follow me, Miss Rey,” she said curtly, sharply waving her over to the side of the room, where there was a stack of books piled atop an opulent dining chair. There were also a pair of plain, black, two-inch heels.

“We stall begin with the basics today – posture, balance, baring, walking, and your curtsy. In addition, Miss Rey, in these lessons you will address me as Madame Tico, not as Commander. My military rank aboard this ship does not extend to my position as protocol instructor.” Rey found this perplexing, but never the less nodded in understanding.

“Understood, Madame Tico,”

“Now then,” her tutor turned abruptly to face her “the key to good posture is buoyancy and reinforcement – constant practice. You can only correct dreadful habits by becoming cognizant of them first. For instance, in the past two minutes, you've already crumpled in on yourself and have done nothing to right your slouch.”

Rey's face turned crimson, and, placing one hand on her stomach and the other to the small of her back, she found her alignment and pulled herself aright, quickly dropping her arms to the sides. Rey received a smack to the underside of her chin and her head lifted.

“ _Eyes. Up,_ ” Tico said with vitriol “Maintaining balance while in this form requires even more refined skill.”

Without warning, the Commander placed a book atop the crown of Rey's head.

“Once that tome can stay atop your head for two minutes without tumbling, we will move on to walking.”

The way this woman was talking to her! Speaking to Rey as if she was no more than a child!! Rey thought she preferred Hux' uncompromising, murderous hatred of BeeBee to this dreadful woman – at least Hux had never done anything to humiliate her.

The book atop her head wobbled dangerously.

“ _Focus Rey,_ ” she thought to herself “ _getting angry won't help you with the task at hand. You are here to learn, but it is also the role of every student to teach their instructor. Show her you can do this – shatter her expectations. Balancing a book is really no different than the focus of meditation._ ”

Rey stared at fixed point over Tico's head and focused on it, allowing herself to become aware of her body, the ram-rod straight disks of her spine, the continuous movement of her breath, the gentle pulse of blood through her body. She merely focused on being in her own skin, finding a center, and slipped into a meditative state.

The two minutes passed by uneventfully.

Tico narrowed her eyes dangerously at her.

“...Very well then, Miss Rey. Take a step towards me.”

Rey hesitated. She didn't dare move too quickly, or else risk losing her center. As such, she tested the waters, lifting one foot off the ground just slightly, shifting her weight before she took a confident step forward.

“ _Quicker,_ ” ordered Madame Tico. Rey followed through, her step progressing with more confidence and speed.

“ _Faster!_ Walk towards me as if you were running late to dinner with his Lordship!!” Tico ordered. Rey had a mind to snap at the Commander, but she held her tongue. Whatever anger her tutor had for her had very little to do with Rey's success. Clearly, something else was ticking her off.

“Walk around the perimeter of the room – _do not break stride!_ ” barked Commander Tico, and Rey, starting slowly and finding a flow, did just that, thinking of the task not as walking but floating.

When she returned to her tutor's side, Rey expected Tico's eyes to be practically flaming with rage at her success. To Rey's surprise, her tutor's face was impassive.

“Most student's of mine require two days of lessons to master such a balancing act...” Madame Tico said quietly, almost as if she'd spoken aloud on accident. Rey gently removed the book from her head.

“With all do respect, Madame Tico, I'm a Dream Duster. I learned to jump from roof to roof in my hometown when I was five years old.”

It was at this admission that Commander Tico's jaw hit the floor. When she spoke, her tone had morphed completely to something hesitant and gentle, her eyes down-cast. No hint of her military training remained.

“ ** _Greetings, kin-sister. Forgive me from not recognizing you from the on-set, and for the crash harshness with which I spoke to you._** ”

Rey started. She'd spoken in Spark-Speak, otherwise known as the language of Celeste Somni, such as Dream Dusters, Lunars, Astrae, Seraph, and Huitzi – the last of which, Rey could finally identify her tutor as with the use of the language. Commander Tico was akin to a sprite of the sun, embodying the warmth and light of the life-giving stars she honored. Huitzis had as much fire in their belly as a Pyrite, but Rey had yet to meet one that was this aggressive, even though most Huitzis took up the noble task of becoming temple guards.

How had a reverent, generous Huitzi ended up in a place like this?

It took Rey a moment to rip herself from her contemplation and translate Tico's words in her head. She and Finn had learned a little of the ancient language before her parents disappeared. They'd kept it up conversationally over the years and since Sinjel and Jathka spoke it as well, the second-language had stuck with them, if shakily.

“ ** _Hello, sister-kin. With the permission and mercy of the Ethereum's Gods, you are forgiven._** ” Rey said, reflecting Tico's courteous tone.

Commander Tico seemed to be looking at Rey differently now, and though Rey was glad for the change in demeanor, even relieved, she was disturbed as to the suspected reason why.

“Forgive me, Madame Tico, but why the sudden change in decorum?” The Commander stiffened.

“It matters not, Lady Rey. Come along, let's see how you fair with a few more books, and then we can move on to your curtsy. With your current rate of success, we might even finish early-”

Rey swept around the dining chair and rested her hand atop the stack of books before her tutor could.

“No, Madame Tico, I will not let the issue drop.” Rey said, staring the Commander straight in the face. “If I had said I was anything other than your kin, Commander, what would you have done? Would you have made me walk laps about the room with the entire stack of books on my head for the remainder of the hour? Would you have forced those practice heels on me and watch me trip and fall and bruise myself, due to my inexperience? It is plain enough to me that if I had said I was a Nixie, or a Sprite, or even a Dryad, you would have continued to look down on me as an ignorant commoner – not worthy of respect simply because I lack noble blood.”

Tico's eyes flared bright crimson, as if Rey were staring straight into a dying sun. Rey could only push forward in the interest of fixing this injustice.

If she backed down now, Commander Tico would surely make her life a living Hell.

“By all means, correct me if I'm wrong, Madame Tico,” Rey concluded, firmly, but with an expression that pleaded for understanding.

Tico stared at her, unmoving for a full minute.

Then, her Hellish glare began to slip, her eyes dimmed back to a pale egg-yolk, and Rey's intuition sensed shame rolling off her tutor in waves.

Madame Tico clasped her hands in front of her, at waist-level, and Rey was struck by how young the Mystic before her suddenly appeared. In fact, Madame Tico couldn't have been more than six years her senior.

“You must understand, Lady Rey, I have been trained to serve the Imperial Court since I was eleven years of age. I have been surrounded by those who daily state that common-bred Mystics are not even worth considering Mystics at all. They are less than Dannan in the eyes of the Court, are called the toxic cesspool that pollutes the sanctity of the Imperial Court.” Madame Tico's tone shifted from one of passive explanation, to one of genuine belief halfway through this statement.

A furious glare from Rey and Tico reverted to her apology.

“That is...sadly no excuse for my behavior. But it may offer explanation as to my abrupt and baseless assumptions about your character. If I could move my lady to compassion, I would like to begin again.”

To explain, Madame Tico dipped into an elegant curtsy, impressively managed, due to the pencil-skirt, her wrists flourishing daintily.

“Greetings, Lady Rey. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” said Commander Tico.

Rey forced her intuition to cast as wide and tight-knit a net as it could. She searched her tutor for any front, for any scrap of falsehood made purely to get on her good side again.

She sensed a great deal of extinguished anger. Maybe even a twinge of disgust or disdain.

But the woman before her was actively trying to clamp down on those thoughts with protests of kinship and understanding, acknowledging the mercy and compassion Rey had extended to her, in spite of her hatred.

Commander Tico was not completely sincere, but she was doing her damnedest to become so.

Rey bowed as well, trying her best to emulate the demure qualities of her tutor's curtsy.

“Good morn', Madame Tico, it is an honor to meet you as well.” Rey said, laying bare her own sincerity, her concessions.

The two rose together, and Commander Tico nodded her approval.

“You're a fast learner, Lady Rey. Now, try again, but this time, center yourself as you did when you had the novella on your head. You'll find it much easier,” said Tico, gentle and encouraging, though she was still very much all business.

With a few more tries, Rey improved her curtsy to her tutor's satisfaction, even adding a flowery flourish of her own design.

Rey practiced the same curtsy with books balanced on her crown, and, to Tico's genuine pride, managed it with a full stack of five.

They had a few minutes to spare for Rey to practice walking (more like, learning-to-stumble) in the black heels.

“The important thing to learn to do at the beginning is how to recover,” said Tico, a touch of worry entering her voice as Rey wobbled for the eighth time, as she walked with her student.

“Not unlike learning to tuck-and-roll when you lose your balance when out Dusting,” Rey said, taking a moment to center herself again before she attempted to walk with the stilts.

“Exactly.”

The precision, utilitarian time-piece on Tico's wrist _beeped_ a tinny, electric signal, and Tico held out her hand to Rey wordlessly, Rey's flats clutched in the other.

“Our time is up, return the heels.”

Rey bent down and slipped off the death traps, grateful to return her comfy flats to her feet instead.

“We will continue to practice the same lessons in heels tomorrow. It is vital you learn how to carry yourself in them – you will be dancing in similar footwear later on,” said Tico, matter-of-factly, though to Rey, it almost sounded like a death sentence.

“Did you ever have a student who failed to master dancing in heels, Madame Tico?” asked Rey, banishing as much of the nerves from her voice as she could.

Tico glanced at her, eyebrows shooting up in surprise, but her answer was neither soaking with compassion, nor militaristically curt and unkind.

“No, Lady Rey. Some took more lessons than others, but all succeeded in the end. It is simply a matter of practice. You are dismissed.”

Rey gave the Commander an abbreviated version of her new curtsy, and turned and left the ballroom with buoyant purpose.

Outside, Phasma was the picture of concern as they walked in a hurry to the port-side dining rooms, a stone's throw from the ballrooms and theaters aboard _The Desiderata_.

“Are you alright, my lady?!” Phasma asked, her tone still hushed, but dripping with worry.

“Fine. Why wouldn't I be?” Rey asked.

“...I don't understand it. Your eyes – they're not puffy, forget even being red. No flush to your cheeks. Nothing.”

This statement alone was enough to give Rey pause.

“You...expected me to cry?”

“Commander Tico makes every pupil cry after their first lesson. She's a soon-to-retire drill sergeant. She can make a lady out of the most hopeless case, but she is _brutal_ , utterly relentless. How did you survive?!”

“I told her I was a Dream Duster. She's a Huitzi, you know, we share a similar faith and heritage.”

“...I see.” said Phasma, her tone simultaneously more relaxed and more sour.

“Then, I called her out for her bigotry and that put her in her place.”

Phasma almost walked into the wall as they turned the corner.

“You did what?!”

Rey planted her hands on her hips.

“I wasn't going to let her get away with the impression that I was lesser or weaker because I came from a less affluent family. I stood up for myself, and she backed down. I trust she'll still be a strict teacher, but I think there's a heart in there somewhere, under all that military conditioning.” Rey shed a smile.

“Not unlike a certain friend of mine who was quick to prove herself to me as invaluable.”

Phasma could only shake her horned-helmeted head.

“Lady Rey, you continue to amaze and surprise. Trust me when I say, I wish you luck with that fiend – you'll be having her four times a week.”

“Well, it can't all be eating fancy meals and wearing luxurious gowns, can it?” Rey huffed with determination.

“No. It can't. Such is the sacrifice of court life. Speaking of which, get inside. You're late for lunch.”

Rey squeaked in panic and raced to the small dining room's crimson double doors, tearing them open.

What greeted her inside with a table laden with mouth-watering dishes of poultry, fish, and beef, tureens of savory soups, the most verdant salad Rey had ever laid eyes on, and a cart of fluffy, sugar-topped, caramelized desserts.

Her stomach gave a rumble of delight as a blonde woman, only a few years her senior, sporting a rumpled dark uniform emerged from underneath the table, replacing a tiny spoon at her place setting with a surprised yelp at the sight of her.

“Oh! Forgive me, Lieutenant Connix!!” Rey exclaimed, shutting the doors quickly behind her, cheeks warming with embarrassment.

The Lieutenant brushed back the flyaway strands that had broken out of her twin buns, and let out a peal of hearty, braying laughter at her own silliness.

“It's quite alright, Lady Rey! And Miss Connix or ma'am will be fine. Come, have a seat! You look famished.”


	9. Chapter 08

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey meets her dinner etiquette tutor and has tea alone with Kylo.

Rey had to consciously resist the urge to drool as she sat herself demurely at the lunch table, perpendicular to her teacher, her expression relaxing into a smile to match Miss Connix' after the tension she'd experienced at her first Social Etiquette class.

“Thank you for agreeing to instruct me on dinner etiquette, ma'am. I'm told you have busy schedule.” Connix flashed a smile at her pupil as she sat down herself, drawing her napkin off her plate and into her lap.

“Captain Phasma informed you of that didn't she?” The Lieutenant sighed. “Yes, I suppose these days my work has become my life. Such is the role of any Imperial officer who transfers from field-work to administration and becomes lauded as the expert of all the new autonomously-run weapons programs.”

Connix' eyes briefly flashed silver, and with a gesture of her hand, the soup tureen rose into the air and served first Rey, and then herself, the ladle moving of its own accord. Clearly, her instructor was a Telepath, or at least telekinetic.

“Thank you, ma'am,” said Rey, anxiously spreading out her cloth napkin to cover her fancy dress, ensuring her chair was pulled close to the table.

“You needn't be so nervous, Lady Rey, dinner etiquette is not all that complicated when it comes down to it.” said the Lieutenant, setting down the serving tureen with a flick of her fingers.

Definitely a Telepath then.

Connix smiled lightly.

“Indeed. It was why it took so long to transfer between departments and start coding, as I'd wanted to do since childhood. My broadened intuition was too useful in battle and reconnaissance.” Connix straightened.

“Now then, the general rules of thumb are to sit straight-backed, which you've already done, keep your arms on the armrests and off the table, and regardless of utensil layout, it is always outside going in.”

Rey reached for the small spoon on her right-hand side, on the outer ring. Connix nodded at her encouragingly.

“All the members at the table are served first before the course begins, and the before the first course, there is always a brief toast.” Connix reached for her glass of water and Rey followed suit.

“Try to lightly grip your glass by either its stem, and if your not yet confident, it body. It allows you more control,” Connix kindly directed, Rey adjusting her hold to cup the cold glass of water in her palm.

“To the strength of the Empire and the Health of the Emperor's Hand,” toasted Connix, with only the smallest hint of reverence, an example and a bare-bones courtesy. Rey echoed her words, taking a sip, and then they went about their meal.

For the most part, lunch progressed without incident. Connix called to attention Rey's posture a few times, but Rey adjusted quickly. Following the utensils organization also proved easy to adapt to – Rey never really found herself reaching for the wrong fork as Connix served each new course with her telekinetic magicks. The meal went by quietly, and Rey reveled in each sumptuous course, from the light vegetable soup, to the succulently spiced fish, to the palette cleanser of sour pickled greens, to the fluffy white cake topped with crisp melted caramel.

She could only have dreamed of having such food back home on Jakku. Not that the stews and home-baked breads and ripe market fruit hadn't been delicious, but she'd never had comfort food like this.

Rey, despite her modest intuition, sensed Connix' nervous question coming before she spoke.

“Lady Rey, did you have any family back home, on Jakku?”

Rey attempted to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

“One younger brother,” said Rey, and though she tried to stop herself, she'd never been very good at guarding her thoughts and emotions. Her memories of the last night she saw her parents flashed through her mind, rapid and clear.

Connix set down her glass tepidly, and when Rey met her eyes, they were wide and round with sympathy.

“Do you really know nothing of where they went?” Connix asked, voice quiet. Rey shook her head.

“No, ma'am...But...the more I think back to that night, the less I understand. A Hellfire missile descended upon our apartment – just our apartment. That wasn't coincidence. My parents were attacked specifically because they'd had some sort of run-in with the more depleted Empire of that time.” Connix mused over the quandary.

“Perhaps it was just a bit of money trouble with a business owner who had Imperial connections?”

Rey set down her glass with a sigh.

“Between the engagement and his Lordship's interest in me, I'm starting to wonder if there wasn't more behind their disappearance.” Connix set down her glass purposefully and rose, inviting Rey to do the same.

“Our next lesson will be in three days. I'll go back into the Imperial records and see if I can't find anything on your parents before we meet again, Lady Rey.”

Rey's heart could spontaneously combusted, turning into a miniature sun in her chest.

“Really, Miss Connix?! You'd do that for me?! You have no idea what that would mean to me!” Rey said, finding herself fighting back tears as she raced to hug her tutor. Connix yelped in surprise at the sudden embrace, but nevertheless returned Rey's affection with a slight pat on the back.

“It's no trouble at all, Lady Rey,” Connix said with a smile as they parted. “I'll be spending long hours trouble-shooting defense systems anyhow. It'll give me something to pass the time. I'll just need their names,” said the Lieutenant, almost stumbling over the corner of the table as she backed away from Rey.

“Jarvis and Luna Somnus, Miss Connix.” said Rey, breathlessly, Connix nodding in affirmation and committing the names to memory.

After a brief silence, Rey recalled her manners and sunk into a quick curtsy.

“Thank you for the wonderful meal, Miss Connix.”

“Hah! You can thank the galley cooks for it – I couldn't cook a dish to save my life! But...you're welcome, nonetheless.”

“I'll see you in three days!” said Rey, turning towards the door.

“See you then, Lady Rey!” Connix called, smiling at her warmly, her waving hand sending her dessert fork flying from her plate, as she was caught between saying goodbye and telekinetically shutting the doors in Rey's wake.

“All well, my lady?” asked Phasma, as they fell in step and made for the ship's head.

“You have no idea, Captain,” said Rey, with a brilliant smile.

“You haven't forgotten tea with his Lordship, have you?”

Rey grimaced.

“It did manage to slip my mind during lunch. Are we...headed there now?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Rey tried to calm her anxious, racing heart as Phasma lead her down hallway after hallway, past breath-taking views of outer systems, but her nerves persisted. Kylo had wanted to have tea with her, and to talk with her 'just as two people.' After all his varying behavior from the past few days, she had no idea what to expect. She also wasn't sure what the outcome, good or bad, would do to her and her shifting opinions of the Emperor's Hand.

Eventually though, she ran out of time to wonder.

“His Lordship is waiting through here, my lady.”

“Thank you, Captain...will I see you afterwords?”

“I will meet you in your suite with dinner, Lady Rey,” said Phasma kindly, picking up on Rey's nerves easily, though Dragoons were not exactly renowned for their broad intuition.

“Thank you, Captain,” said Rey, sucking in a deep breath, and steeping up to the pneumatic doors.

They unlocked with a _whirl_ and a _whoosh_ and suddenly Rey found herself stepping into the most verdant, gorgeous garden, transfixed.

The room was warm and only a tinge humid to aid the tropical tree's and wide-leaved bushes in growth in their little plots of rich, worked soil. Cobblestone paths wound between the giant pink, red, and purple blooms, vanilla plants and a small banana grove making the room wonderfully fragrant and sweet. Rey even spotted a rich blue butterfly fluttering from flower to flower, as if the creature was elated by the space so springing with life in the midst of the cold, metallic ship.

“Welcome to the Conservatory, my lady,” said a deep voice off to her left. Sitting in a dark, shadowy corner off near the back wall was a man who only could be broad enough to be her fiance. Rey approached, a bit timid, but took courage at the sight of the little wrought iron table and curlicue chair-backs that meant she could sit and relax.

When she reached Kylo's side, he rose from his seat and reached for her hand, surprising her by bowing and bending down to kiss her hand in greeting.

“You look lovely today, Lady Rey,” he murmured against her knuckles, making her pulse flutter against her better wishes. She was entirely unused to such complimentary words. No man on Jakku had ever extended a compliment to her (except the occasional assurance from Finn that she was, indeed, beautiful, and bound to eventually catch _someone's_ eye). But her shyness at his complement did not last, because one thing became shockingly clear.

Despite his movement in the darkness, and the fact she could not quite catch sight of his face, she clearly saw the absence of the hard lines and aggressive edges of his helmet of ashes, felt the press of his lips against her knuckles. Instead, she could vaguely see the tell-tale signs of long, elegantly curling hair, though she could not hope to discern the color, and a darkened face with a sharp jawline.

She was seized with the sudden desire to yank him around the table and into the light, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to accomplish the task. And surely, there was a reason Kylo always wore his helm to hide his face. In time, she would try to ask him.

At the moment though, Rey was a breath away from asking why he'd forgone the mask when she sat down and noted the ceramic tea-set and little sandwiches and pastries on a tray beside them.

Right. Tea.

What had she expected – that he'd drink through the mask with a straw?

Before this image could make her snort in laughter, Kylo broke her from her reverie.

“Does the garden please you, my lady?” he asked low, and if Rey heard correctly, hopefully. It was strange, hearing his natural voice, sans the helmet's modulation. It was still quite low in tone, but it no longer possessed its supernatural, bone-rattling effect.

“Yes, my lo – Kylo.” Rey coughed, trying and failing to mask her faux pas. “Sorry, I'd forgotten you asked me to call you by your name.”

“It is quite alright, Lady Rey,” he said, smoothly murmuring her name in a way she could only describe as tender. “I know you just had your mid-day meal with Lieutenant Connix, but would you indulge me in sharing a cup of tea?” he said, offering to pour for her, the porcelain teapot gleaming in the warm, faux-sunlight on her half of the table.

“Gladly, Kylo,” said Rey, lifting her teacup to meet his hands halfway. He poured a cup of steaming green liquid gracefully and then served himself, offering Rey more time to look around as she cradled her cup. “I've never seen this much green in one place,” she mused, accepting Kylo's offer of sugar wordlessly when he offered her a cube. “Not even in the oases on Jakku.”

Rey tried to resist sighing to herself, but her expression still fell.

“My lady?” murmured Kylo softly, voice tinged with concern, and Rey decided she could trust him with this much, provided she kept the details vague.

“I just wish I had gotten to see more of the galaxy before I'd been engaged. I never left Jakku because...my parents went missing when I was still young. I always hoped...that if I stayed, they'd come back for my brother and I.”

When Rey's intuition felt Kylo's sympathy, it hit her so hard it nearly knocked the breath out of her.

“That's why you wanted so desperately to stay...” Kylo whispered, voice laden with guilt “But – forgive me, Lady Rey – it is not your responsibility to stay rooted to your home planet in case your parents may return.” Though spoken kindly, Rey started at Kylo's words, and it hurt how exactly they touched on her daughter's duty that had kept her on Jakku for quite a few years.

“If it is in the God's design that you should find them again, you will no matter where you go in the galaxy. It does not do to live purely in the interest of others.” Kylo's tone hardened unexpectedly as he finished. “You end up killing yourself in the process.”

Before she could ask what he meant by that, Kylo continued on, his voice less intense once more.

“And as for the matter of travel, my lady, you're marrying the Emperor's Hand! We can go wherever you wish to go, visit any planet that catches your fancy!”

“Truly?” Rey marveled, her pulse picking up at the possibility. “We could hike through the woods on Endor or – explore the waterfalls on Naboo?!” She gasped. “I could visit Finn at flight school on Coruscant – or even...” she hesitated for a beat, daring to voice a childhood dream “See my first ocean?”

“Scarif is quite close to Mustafar – it's a tropical planet in the Outer-Rim. We could go there for our honeymoon,” Kylo proposed, warm and casual.

The use of the word 'honeymoon' however, chased away Rey's excitement faster than BeeBee bolting in fear.

Rey took a slow sip from her cup to disguise her discomfort. The tea was still a bit too hot, but she still managed to taste the warm, heartily bodied sweetness of the green tea, despite it temperature.

“I apologize, my lady. That was too forward of me,” said Kylo, his tone turning sober again, as ashes fluttered from his shoulders and onto the cobblestone floor.

“I'll think on your offer, Kylo. I'd certainly like to visit Scarif, someday. Why should it not be at the soonest opportunity?” The back-peddling sounded a bit weak, even to Rey's ears, but her intuition sensed that Kylo took it in stride.

“How did your first day of lessons go, my lady?” said the Hand, attempting to lead the topic of conversation in a better direction.

“Quite well, Kylo. Though, if I must be honest, none of my tutors were...quite what I expected...”

“Oh? Do tell,” said Kylo, and his tone was filled with the warm edge of his charming, dry humor, urging her forward hopefully.

“Duke Pryde is eccentric and excitable, but he seems quite knowledgeable – I look forward to discussing History with him. To be perfectly honest, he's the first Umbra I ever met, and at the sight of him, all my memories of childhood ghost stories all came rushing back at once, and I almost ran in panic.”

It was single bark, a low-pitched yelp of a laugh. But Kylo laughed nevertheless, to Rey's complete surprise and delight.

“Pryde was the only professor that could keep me in line when I first started under my sire's tutelage. Trust me when I say, my reaction upon first meeting him was very much the same,” Kylo said, laughter still lilting in his voice.

Rey couldn't help but smile.

“Commander Tico is not what I expected a Huitzi to be like either...” Rey continued, her brow furrowing.

Kylo's gloved hand reaching across the table to rest upon her own almost made Rey throw her teacup.

“She was not too strict with you, was she? I also trained under the Commander – albeit, under different circumstances. I know how she can be.” Rey stared at their connected hands but did not pull away from Kylo's grasp, simply letting herself acclimate to the feeling of his large palm on hers, exuding a gentle pressure.

“She was...short with me. At first. But I would not stand for her behavior.” Rey _clicked_ her tongue, making a brash decision. “Be honest with me, Kylo, can I only expect to be treated similarly at Court? Because if so, I'd like to know now, so I can prepare for it.”

His grip on her hand tightened, but not to the point of discomfort.

“If you present yourself as a lady of sophistication, it will matter little to the Court who you are or where you came from, in time. Nobility is all an act anyhow – if you were to examine the heritage of any member of the Imperial Court, no one is as 'pure-bred' or 'flawless' as they claim to be. You will win over any naysayers with your charm and beauty, my lady, I am sure of it. Worry not about such things.”

Rey tried to take Kylo's words to heart, but it was difficult to focus when her skin kept jumping with electricity each time his thumb tenderly stroked the back of her hand. As such, she now gently pulled her hand from his grasp, taking another sip of her tea as a front, and cradling her cooled cup in both palms so he could not attempt to hold her hand again.

“Although, if Commander Tico was disrespectful to you, my lady, I now out-rank my former Commander. I can ensure she never mistreats you again,” Kylo promised, darkly.

Rey slammed her teacup down on her saucer.

“You will do no such thing!” she exclaimed, thoroughly surprising her fiance.

“Madame Tico's behavior and superiority complex are the result of her living among a system of institutionalized classism for far too long. She does not deserve to be punished for it. Yes, I agree, she should not treat me differently because I don't come from a wealthy family, but that is a matter strictly between her and I, and I already gave her a piece of my mind. As far as my intuition can tell, she took it to heart,” Rey said, leaving no room for argument.

“...Very well, my lady. As you wish,” Kylo conceded.

Rey finished off her cup of tea before she asked her mused-over question.

“'Former Commander' Tico, you said? Meaning you served under her?” She could hear the smile in his voice as Kylo spoke.

“I was an Imperial soldier long before I was a Lord, my lady.”

“Really?” Rey said, leaning forward on her elbow, intrigued.

“Yes. When I left my home-planet I let my intuition guide me to Mustafar, where I had an audience with my sire. He immediately saw my potential and thought it best for me as his pupil, and, in a sense, successor, that I go through military training. I always did have a desire to fight righteously for those who needed protecting, a desire to prove myself. It's just...a part of my magicks, I suppose...

“Between being proving myself a formidable fighter and refining my abilities as an Inferi, I quickly rose through the Imperial ranks to become leader of my sire's elite guard, the Knights of Ren. I exacted justice throughout the galaxy with my brotherhood behind me. We were nigh unstoppable. However, in time it became clear to my sire that I needed a more thorough political training and to be kept close, in order to be molded into the next Emperor. As such, I was given the rank of Lord and my own ship.”

There was such clear pride in her fiance's voice, but not of a kind that brought Rey joy to hear. 'Exacting justice' on the Emperor's behalf? Surely, that could mean nothing good. Rey shivered at the mental image of Kylo and a band of Knights acting like a secret police, carrying out violent acts with blood-lust, and without question. It left her feeling sick.

There was something to his talk of having warrior Mystic blood, however, that did encourage Rey, shedding a chink of light on the situation.

“I – I see. You said the desire to protect had always been inherent to you? Did you have any warriors in your family – perhaps even members of the Boreal Guard?” asked Rey, just managing to recall the title of the Republic's Mystic military.

Kylo's presence in the Ethereum went from heated pride to a wall of cold denial, instantly.

“I do not discuss my family.” Kylo said, his tone adamant.

Though Rey's pulse picked up, her brow furrowed determinedly. This was not a good enough answer. Not for her.

“I told you about mine. I'll admit, only vaguely...but, Kylo, you asked me to meet you for tea specifically so we could get to know each other. Hopefully, even begin to understand one another, and yet-”

“By all means, ask me anything. So long as you're asking about a time after I met my sire,” Kylo amended, his tone a bit gentler.

“But Kylo, how I can I get to know you if you're only willing to give me half the picture-”

“And what about Connix – what did you think of her?”

Rey pressed her mouth into a thin line, staring at the dark form of her future husband.

“She's clear and concise in her lessons. She's a bit accident prone, but has a kind heart. But that is besides the point.” Rey fixed her eyes on a point in the darkness that she thought for certain were her fiance's eyes.

“I want to understand you. How can I do that if I don't know who you were, before all of this?”

Ash started to flutter freely from her fiance's shoulders, his fiery heart making itself visible in the shadows.

“Why? Why does my past matter to you? I'm not insisting you share childhood memories of your parents. Why would I? Given what you've told me, I'd imagine such an act would be painful, and I wish to spare you that.” Rey was growing exasperated, desperate to get her point across.

“Maybe, but that is because there was a time when I had them in my life, and they loved me. I have no anger when I think on my past. Why do you?”

For one horrible moment, Rey's intuition felt Kylo's anger burn hot and harsh in the Ethereum, pulsing like a solar flare. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

Kylo huffed, frustrated, his mind weary. He ran a hand through his long hair as if he was trying to claw something out of him.

“Fine. You're to be my wife, it's only fair that I tell you. The man who I was before I became Lord Kylo Ren was...a weak, foolish boy, that I have spent every moment of the past ten years of my life trying to cleave myself from. As such, I do not discuss my past – not my origins, not my childhood, not my family. I've burned all that away to become the Emperor's Hand. My past is completely irrelevant...who I was might as well be a dead man. And I refuse to speak of him as if he was still alive.”

He spoke bluntly, quickly trying to get his words out and rid himself of their weight. If her intuition hadn't been like a live-wire, picking up on every flare, she might've thought he was indifferent to it all.

But the hurt, the shear _pain_ she could feel radiating off of this man, felt like a fist squeezing her heart in its grasp. She couldn't _breathe_.

This man was more than ash. Kylo carried a shadow with him that cast his whole life in darkness. He was driven by grief and pain, and seemed to care only for power and the vague comfort it brought him.

Or, at least, that had been his life, until she had stumbled into it. Rey could see now he was trying so because it was in her company that he, maybe for the first time in _years_ , was feeling warmth, a bit of kindness and companionship.

The thought made tears spring to her eyes, and she made no effort to keep them from falling.

Who had hurt him? Who had made him this way? How could she help him? She _wanted_ to help him. It was now Phasma's words came back to her, and rang heart-breakingly true.

_“Because I have seen his heart, and he is just as lost a man as any he strikes a binding deal with.”_

Kylo's presence in the Ethereum descended into confusion, worry, panic. She could clearly see the exact moment the star's bounced back to her the message that she'd cracked this man's heart open with her tears.

“My lady...what have I said? I – I did not mean to upset you – please-” Kylo made a sudden move to lean across the table, then huffed in frustration, the leather of his gloves coming away tear-stained. To her utter shock, he ripped off his black gloves and, ever so gently, wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

It was the first time Rey had seen even an inch of her betrothed's skin, and she was utterly transfixed. His touch was so tender, so sweet, despite his large hands and the hesitance with which he touched her. Her gaze darted from one side to the other, trying to memorize the appearance of his hands, the lines and calluses, the subtle variation of color in his pale skin, the feeling of him holding her.

“Please, Lady Rey, don't cry...I cannot bare the sight...” he said. And if it wasn't clear from the pained tone of his voice, she could feel it vibrating through the Ethereum how desperately he wanted to help her, to comfort her, to bring her happiness.

Nine Heavens, this supposedly monstrous man _cared_ about her. Rey was overwhelmed by the thought.

“I don't cry because you have upset me, Kylo,” Rey sniffed, bracing herself for the hammer to fall “I cry because you are clearly in pain, and you will not let me help you.”

In an instant, the atmosphere shifted. Kylo pulled away. He drew his hands back into his lap. He tugged back on his leather gloves.

“My point exactly,” said Rey, rising to her feet, her chair-legs grinding against the cobblestone with an ear-wrenching _shriek._ Kylo all but leapt to his feet.

“My lady-”

“How can expect me to marry you – genuinely accept you – when you won't even tell me who you are? When you hide your face from everyone, even me?” Rey said, swiping at her tears, and not daring to break eye contact.

“...Because you agreed to it,” Kylo said, simple and direct...and utterly emotionless. His words knocked all the air out of her.

“What?”

“We made a deal. Your brother's life, in exchange for your hand. I...” he hesitated for a moment, but then pressed on, ever the Man of Ashes he had always been “I had hoped that by the time we wed there would be more than that bargain between us. But it matters not. The deal still stands. You will be my wife, whether you wish to be or not.”

She was a fool. A complete and utter idiot.

What was she doing, wanting to save this man? Nothing could save him. She could only hope to save herself from him, nothing more.

“That may be so, Kylo Ren.” said Rey, her old rage quick to rise to her aid all over again, as if her decision the night before to hope for the best had never happened. Her only hope now was to fight him at every turn, at every second. Starting now, with her striking him where she _knew_ it would hurt.

“ _But I will hate you until death do us part,_ ” she spat, voice breaking with equal parts hatred and grief.

She turned on her heels and marched out of the room, heat behind her eyes, fire roiling in her stomach.

She found her way back to her suite easily enough, hurrying, almost running even through the ship's lavish corridors, hoping to put some distance between her and Kylo in case he decided to follow her.

She raced into her room and across to check that the door between their rooms was still locked on her side, before vaulting over her bed and locking the main suite door to any and all personnel (except, of course, Phasma).

Rey sat down on her bed, numb, and for the first time in days, she once again felt the four walls about her morph into prison bars and close in. The despair washed over her and she could do nothing more than collapse onto her bed and cry. Not even the nudge of a wet nose pressing against her hand and a soft whine could bring her comfort, but holding BeeBee close at least made her feel something besides the sensation of drowning.

When Phasma arrived with her dinner, she all but raced to her bedside and embraced Rey tightly. This, of course, only made Rey cry harder at first. In time, however, Rey's sadness drained her of energy, and her tears dried.

Phasma tried to get Rey to eat something, and though she drank plentiful water, she had little more than a few bites of bread.

They talked for many hours, but Phasma's words did little to comfort her.

“I know it seems impossible. But Rey, you have to understand, I've never seen him be the way he is with you with anyone else. If anyone can help him, you can.”

Rey gave no retort, and in time, Phasma left Rey in the hope that she might be able to get some sleep. She gently reminded Rey that tomorrow would be another busy day of lessons, beginning with etiquette with Tico, no less. Rey nodded, numbly.

Rey spent the Sacred Hour damning every God, by name, for giving her an echo, a shadow, a cheap farce of the dream her little romantic heart had desired for so long. For laughing in her face and condemning her to such a cruel fate. The fiery hatred for the man just on the other side of her door kept her up for some time. But, eventually, Rey slept.


	10. Chapter 09

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey has a rather miserable day.
> 
> And then her surprise seventh lesson turns out to be honing and refining her hidden magickal abilities, whether she wants to or not.

Rey awoke, feeling no better now that morning had come. Still, she dutifully rose at Phasma's behest and scarfed down some breakfast, delivered to her again by the blonde, pale servant, and dressed in a gray, tea-length chiffon gown with delicate sleeves. She could do little more than dully stare at her reflection as Phasma pinned back her hair in a plait and did her makeup. Though she looked beautiful to her glazed over eyes, today, it mattered very, very little.

Etiquette with Tico was much the same as the day before. Rey ran through the previous days exercises without incident, and then tried them again, this time in heels. It was impossible to say that they went off without a hitch, but as Rey was completely cordial and did all Madame Tico asked without complaint or retort, her tutor found it in her heart to go easier on her, and end the lesson a bit early.

“To assist in overcoming your difficulties with heeled shoes, I strongly recommend daily practice, Lady Rey. You won't learn how to dance in them by only walking about in flat shoes.”

“Yes, Madame Tico,” Rey replied, dully.

The Commander stalled, staring at her with a bemused expression on her face. But she made no comment.

“You are dismissed, my lady.”

Phasma and Rey walked in silence back to her rooms, where Phasma shed her helmet and began prattling on about Presentation – namely choosing color schemes and coordinating an outfit to match one's complexion and compliment one's best features.

Rey tried to internalize her teacher's words, but she was simply so tired and completely bereft of hope that Phasma eventually consented that the lesson would go nowhere today and excused herself to bring Rey her lunch.

Her mid-day meal was three courses, composed of a floral, sweet soup, a root-vegetable salad, and a bit of pasta and pork. As such, Rey was also able to practice her utensil order, even as she wandered about her suite, trying to adjust to the sensation of walking in gray, wedge pumps Phasma had suggested to aid her practice.

“They're much more supportive than normal heels. They'll help you adjust to the sensation and find your center,” Phasma gently explained.

Rey could only nod numbly, chewing the last bites of her meal.

“My lady, how long do you intend for this to go on?” asked Phasma, suddenly, equal parts worried and baffled.

Rey swallowed roughly and turned on her friend.

“What do you honestly expect me to do, Phasma? Whatever he may say or do otherwise, at the end of the day, he views me as property!” she yelled, surprising even herself with the harshness of her tone. “I'm just a means to an end to him, nothing more. I'm his _prisoner,_ ” she said, her voice thick with tears again.

“Lady Rey, you know that isn't true.”

It took every ounce her restraint to resist smashing her porcelain plate against the wall in shear anger.

“Why does he do this, then?! Why does he hide from everyone?! Why does he revel in cruelty and flinch away from kindness?!?!” she said, slamming her plate back on the cart instead. It cracked underneath her force, and Rey pulled back her hands as if she'd been burned.

Phasma's brows turned up in concern, her heart bleeding for Rey.

“I suspect it is because cruelty is what he knows. Being hardened and hiding behind a mask keeps him safe.”

“ _He's an Inferi!! What could POSSIBLY hurt him?!_ WHAT IS HE AFRAID OF?!” Rey screamed, swiping at her tear-stained cheeks.

“...Being hurt himself,” Phasma murmured, her blue gaze arresting Rey and taking the fight out of her.

Phasma approached her like a wounded animal and brought her gently back into the closet, fixing up her makeup as BeeBee jumped into her lap to comfort her with nuzzles.

“Now come along, Lady Rey. You do still have one more lesson for today.”

“Right. The surprise lesson you refused to talk about,” Rey muttered, grimly.

“Yes. And I suspect you'll need your strength for this one.”

Rey could only stare at the floor, anger and pain roiling through her like a maelstrom. She didn't feel particularly strong just now. Dangerous maybe. But only out of need.

“...I know it may seem difficult now. But Rey, the fact that you're upset to begin with, that you were hoping to see a change in his Lordship...I take that as a good sign.”

“Of what?” Rey snapped, meeting the Captain's eyes again.

“That you are, in fact, the person who will change his mind.” Phasma finished touching up Rey's blush and pulled her to her feet.

“Now come along, my lady. We don't want to be late.” Phasma returned to her military persona and lead Rey around the rotunda of the ship, up and down a number of corridors, before leading her to cul-de-sac similar to the one where her bedroom was.

Phasma unlocked the door with her ID chip, and Rey's heart stopped.

The circle of rooms they were in was more than just similar to her own – they were identical. Phasma had lead her in giant circle, right back to where they started. And now, she was staring at her fiance, looking out at her from his private chambers.

Phasma shoved her forward and the doors shut behind her, locking her in.

~*~*~*~

“Good afternoon, my lady,” said Kylo, voice low and unassuming. Rey stared him down, her eyes boring into his green-tinted obsidians, conveying every once of her hatred towards him, despite the barrier of his six-pointed-star mask.

Her fiance's chambers were as fine as her own, rich mauve velvet curtains drawn in front of the windows, letting in only a bit of star and sunlight to see by. Any sun-mimicking light fixtures were on their most dim setting. The black marble floor sparkled like stardust, and every bit of furniture, from the dresser, to the desk, to the bed-side table, to the frame of the positively astronomical bed with a red coverlet, were all finely hand-carved, elegant, dark wood. The pneumatic metal doors to his baths and closet mirrored the placement of those in her own room, but they were both currently shut.

The Man of Ashes continued, taking on his very matter-of-fact, deal-making tone of voice once again.

“I have called you here today to begin a...shall we say, unique set of lessons? They will not help you prepare for court life, but shall instead assist you in a far more long-term and significant way. I will make myself plain, my lady; I wish to help you discover the true extent of your Mystic powers and unlock their secrets.”

Rey's hatred sputtered, if only for a moment, as a result of her surprise.

“You can't be serious...” she blurted out. Kylo drew his hands behind his back and his shadow seemed to fall over her even more darkly.

“I am,” he said, his ashes circling his person like a flock of furious crows.

“Because my eyes glowed?! Once, in your presence? Well, let me make _myself_ plain, your Lordship, my eyes have been glowing, inexplicably, my entire life. It is a quirk – a magickal abnormality. Nothing more.”

“I refuse to believe that, my lady. There is far more to you than there appears to be.”

His vehement tone only raised her ire higher.

“Fine then. Test my abilities however you wish, if only to end this madness sooner. But I assure you, whatever other abilities I could have developed, whatever other possible paths there were in my Mystic journey, I forwent them to become a Duster when I was six years old.”

“Very well,” her fiance approached her, leaving the safety of the back wall, stopping a few strides from her person. He was still far from her reach, but, at the same time, uncomfortably close.

“Let us begin with a few simple abilities.”

He shoved his palms close together, creating a perceptible well of gravity between them that sucked energy and heat to the space between his palms. The energy gathered until a blazing ball of light erupted into existence, flaming and red, given his Inferi nature.

“Can you produce a sphere of light?” he asked, fidgeting with his own, passing it lightly from hand to hand, the floating orb never touching his palm.

Rey, as difficult as it was, closed her eyes and tried to center herself and focus her mind – clear it of anything beyond a sense of peace. She turned all her strength outward in the effort to accomplish the task, her hands becoming tense claws. She felt sparks, flickers, crackles of energy jumping between her fingertips, but when she opened her eyes, nothing had formed.

Kylo clicked his tongue in irritation.

“You're holding back on purpose!” he exclaimed, and Rey's face flared, embarrassed and enraged.

“I am not! Did you ever stop to consider that it might takes _years_ of lessons to unlearn the purposeful limiting of my abilities I went through to become a Duster?!”

“Well, thank the Gods that we'll have no shortage of time on our hands,” Kylo snarled, blatantly pissed.

“Let's try something else,” he said, the ball of light flickering until it vanished from existence. Kylo lifted both hands, palms up, and the shadows rose from the floor to curl and warp about his fingers like adoring snakes.

Rey scoffed in annoyance.

“Dusters cannot manipulate shadows – it's against their nature-”

“ _Try. It._ ”

Rey shut her eyes again, and, knowing the dark nature of shadow-bending, didn't try to abate her anger this time. She tried to use it to furiously alter reality, mold it to her will.

She felt a powerful, single shudder in the Ethereum. But then it was gone.

She opened her eyes again to find the room had not changed.

Kylo growled, dropping the shadows. “Essential elements, then, what can you manage with those?”

One after another, he threw her a sphere of every raw element – water from the molecules in the air, earth from a planter in the corner, supporting a dying stalk of some root-plant, wind from the air around them, a bit of metal he pulled straight off of the clawed feet of the richly upholstered loveseat at the end of his bed. Even a bolt of lightning, created spontaneously from the raw energy within him.

Rey could not catch or hold any of them. They fell to the floor, or collapsed in her hands. The lightning she just barely managed to dodge with a scream, tucking and rolling away, landing with one leg thrown out behind her.

“My lord, I told you – I'm just a Duster! I can give people dreams, I can almost read minds with my strengthened intuition, I'm an agile jumper! I _cannot_ do anything else!!” Rey cried, growing desperate, and a bit scared as she stood.

The Man of Ashes let out an inhuman roar and Rey could only freeze in place. His hands radiated with heat, red as if they were burning from within, the bones of his fingers showing through even his thick leather gloves.

The energies in the room convalesced and burst, sending a fireball the size of her head flying straight for her.

It was slow enough to dodge, but Rey stayed rooted to the spot, with an uncanny certainty in her intuition reassuring her that she would be okay.

She merely held up her hands...

...And caught the fireball between them.

Molten lava sloshed from the sphere and dripped between her fingers, landing on the floor with a sizzle, burning permanent blemishes and pock marks into the marble. At yet, to her, it merely felt warm, not even uncomfortably so.

Rey could only gawk. She saw it, but she couldn't believe it.

“I don't understand. Back home on Jakku, just a candle-flame could burn me...How? This – this shouldn't be possible...” The lava ball started to dissolve, and it slipped right out of her hands. Rey yelped in shock, reaching for the flame ball desperately

A pair of gloved hands caught it instead.

Kylo rose from his crouch, not taking his eyes off of Rey.

“Remarkable...” he murmured, and Rey grew instantly tense. It was like he was attempting to dissect her with his dark eyes. Kylo shook his head in disbelief as he drew the ball of flame back into his person, the energy traveling down his arms and back into his fiery torso.

“You were able to hold fire...yet, unable to create your own. You must be a truly rare Mystic indeed.” His little gasp made her pulse jump “...Perhaps you _are_ a Child of the Stars then...what other kind of Mystic would be able to not just withstand, but thrive, in fire...?”

Kylo reached for her, his hand rising to her face, perhaps unconsciously. Rey still flinched away.

She allowed her hatred to course through her, reminding him of her promise in a way his intuition could feel.

The effect was instant. He drew back as if she'd struck him.

He turned his back on her, gazing at the chink of space visible through his window.

His mind was a fog of whirling, blurring questions to her intuition.

That, and fear. The Emperor's Hand was filled with palpable, terrible fear.

Rey couldn't fathom it. Regardless, she cleared her throat.

“Will that be all for today's lesson, my lord?” she asked, as curtly as she could manage, desperate to leave his presence.

“Not quite,” said Kylo, abruptly turning to face her. He hesitated for a beat...and then removed his gloves, tucking them into his belt. Rey felt the bile in the back of her throat sour.

“I wish to try just one exercise more, my lady.” He offered her his hands slowly, palms up. “I wish to bridge our intuitions. Perhaps getting a more direct glance at your abilities will make clearer the exact nature of your magicks.”

“And if I refuse?” Rey said, appalled by the request.

“You may, if you so wish. But I'd prefer to do less trial and error next time, and take a more scientific approach to your lessons. That, and I wish to only examine your magicks – I swear I will leave your thoughts and memories untouched.”

His tone was firm, and even with just her intuition's passing glance, she could tell he was being sincere. She'd been fooled by his sincerity before.

...And yet, stars above, she just wanted to leave this room and get away from this monster.

“Fine,” said Rey, with every ounce of resistant vitriol she could inject into her voice. She rested her hands atop his and, slowly, but surely, drifted into a meditative state, her eyes slipping shut.

At first, there was only darkness.

Just as quickly, the Ethereum rushed up to greet them out of the black, illuminating their mind's eyes with the wash of nebulous blues and greens and violets, the swirls of milky galaxies, the twinkling stars, the glimmer of life itself.

Rey seemed to suddenly accelerate through time and space, faster than the mind could perceive. The stars became streaks of light before her vision, as her intuition reached and stretched, seeking out the dark aura before her that had to be Kylo's essence, reaching for her.

She hesitated, only for a moment, before colliding with him.

They both gasped and gripped each other's hands tightly as they breached each other's souls.

Rey could see all of Kylo's magick. Flickers and flares of raging red and searing orange, his Inferi fire. Subtle, gossamer blues and silvers, gray and fluttering – this was surely the bit of telepathic magick his sire had taught him. And then, a sinuous, tar-black shadow that knitted it all together – his powers that marked him as a Nightmare.

Once Rey had looked her fill, she tried glancing inward to see what Kylo was seeing. Her curiosity demanded it.

She was instantly enchanted.

Her magicks were an amalgamation of subtle tints and hues – bits of blue, green, purple, yellow, and white – like a liquid, opalescent garden, constantly swirling and changing and utterly beautiful to look at.

Certainly, further in, there was the golden sunlight of her Duster magicks. But surrounding it all was this gorgeous watercolor nebula.

Her inherent abilities outside of those of a Duster had never left her, despite all her efforts. They were still there.

The real question was, did Rey want to explore them at all?

Doing so, truly developing a new set of powers, would mean breaking her Duster oath. By law, she would never be allowed to perform her services again. She would be considered Fallen – a criminal, an oath-breaker, disgraced. She would be turning against a heritage and a job that she loved. She could never.

But then, a profound wave of despair washed over her as she realized it truly did not matter. She would never be able to deliver dreams to the people of the home-town she loved because she was never going back. She was trapped. She was bound by her word, by a promise stronger than chains because it came in the form of a ring.

And what was worse, she was tethered to a man incapable of love.

The shuddering gasp from Kylo sent her heart racing with panic.

Promising to leave her thoughts be or not, it mattered little. With their intuitions tethered like this, Kylo could feel everything she was feeling. They were communicating to each other as clearly as if they were both Empaths.

Rey tried desperately to rip her hands from Kylo's grasp, but he only held on tighter. She screamed, twisting her wrists in his hold in the effort to break free.

Then suddenly, her conscious spun like a whirlpool, and instantly their minds fell into a singularity and joined.

Flashes. Bright and colorful and quick. Like a wet painting that been left out in the rain, the colors splattered and ran.

Suddenly, there were snatches of voices too. Angry syllables, shouted and cut off. Murmurs of comfort too quiet to be understood. Cries for help, there one minute, gone the next.

Then finally, out of the pitch black, an image formed: a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a scruffy beard, dressed in an elaborate, dark leather jacket.

_“But why do you have to go, Dad?”_ spoke the young voice of a child.

 _“Because your mother asked me too. It's my job. And it'll be your job someday too. You'll understand then...”_ the man answered, gently.

The scene melted again, and Rey could feel within the dark room the loving arms of a mother, wrapped about her person so tenderly it hurt.

_“It'll be okay, my darling. Everything will be alright, I promise you. It's perfectly normal for Mystics your age to have their powers react strongly when they're angry or upset. You'll get better at it, I promise. You are a Child of the Stars after all – you're something special.”_

_“I wish I wasn't,”_ answered the child, his voice deeper than before.

Another change, and the man from before was screaming with a woman. From her voice, it had to be the mother who'd held him before.

_“You can't just go flying off any time adventure calls anymore! You have responsibilities now!!”_

_“Damn the consortship to the Thirteen Hells! I never wanted the title or the responsibility!!”_

_“I'm talking about_ your son!! _”_ the woman screamed, her voice breaking horribly _“You should've been here for him!!”_

_“I don't know anything about this Mystic crap! I'm a DANNAN, I don't believe in any of it!! You want my advice?! Send him to Luke – he'll know how to help!!”_

The next scene passed in a rapid, cream and sunlight-gold blur, but Rey had the wherewithal to tell that the woman was hugging her son goodbye. She could feel both the arms around her again, and a wetness against her cheek. A sob wracked the young man's body.

 _“Please don't make me go,”_ the boy whimpered.

 _“I'm doing this to help you, my son,”_ said the mother, voice full of pain and sincerity.

Suddenly, the brutal cold of an island in a rain storm, hitting harder than a slap in the face.

_“Come on, nephew, you're better than this!! You're letting your anger get the best of you, have more self control!!”_ said a different middle-aged man, this one wearing white long robes, and in the midst of swinging a staff that Rey met with her own, the wooden impact rattling down her arms.

The crinkling of paper and she was looking through letter after letter in a dimly lit stone hut, each one getting progressively shorter.

_'How's training coming along? Luke tells me he's worried about you...'_

_'Another rough week at court. The trade disputes are a nightmare...'_

_'Han and I aren't speaking anymore. He's gone off to Gods-know-where. If you get a letter from him, can you please tell me where he is, or at least that he's safe?'_

_'You can't let your anger control you, sweetheart. You must be better than your grandfather. You_ _must_ _..._ '

The colors warped and Rey got flashes of the island. The cold. The loneliness. The hours upon hours of hard sparring.

The anger. The letters that reported all the immaculate little details of Court life but asked nothing of his own. The pressure. The struggle. The tears. His father's disappearance.

The memory of his fearful face the night he'd left home. The stark picture of his mother's concern when he'd accidentally set fire to the throne room in his rage. Anxiously tossing and turning at night, praying for sleep. For reprieve. For this nightmare to end.

And then suddenly, peace.

And a dark, gravely voice, that promised him he was strong. That he would get through this. That he would prove them all wrong.

He did.

He showed them all.

He followed the voice's instructions to the letter, and got everything he wanted and more.

He was powerful.

He was respected.

He was feared – even by his uncle, his teacher.

Refusing to grant him the title of Boreal Guard was the last straw.

He burned down the temple on his last night on the island, stole a craft and flew to the far end of the galaxy, to the Outer Rim.

He nearly died in the effort to get there.

But once he did, the cracked black earth, the blood-red sky, the towering crystal and onyx spires of the palace, the shadowy halls, and the very Ethereum itself, embraced him.

“ _Rise, my boy.”_ And he did, looking up at the face of his Emperor _“You are everything I had hoped you'd be. You – you shall be my champion...”_

Rey's hands slipped from Kylo's grasp with ease. The polished marble floor tilted beneath her and she fell back.

She didn't dare look up from her spot on the floor, she was so afraid.

She hadn't meant to...would that even matter? She would never have bridged her and her fiance's minds on purpose. She could only pray her death would be swift and painless.

At least then, the nightmare would finally be over.

Kylo sank to his knees in front of her.

Rey could only gasp for breath, trying to orient herself in her body again, her mind feeling as if it had melted.

He reached out for her and very gently tilted her head back with a touch of her chin, dropping his hand promptly.

Rey's intuition finally reset itself, and when it did, she could only stare, wide-eyed, at her fiancé.

...He was positively terrified. His eyes bore into hers, hoping for what, she could not tell.

But one thing was for absolute certain.

She had not bridged their minds. He had.

And he'd done it on purpose.

He'd shown her memories of his life. Of a childhood spent being confused and feared. Of parents too wrapped up in themselves to help. Of a legacy that had weighed on him as if he'd had the world on his shoulders.

Rey was speechless.

Whatever she had expected the past of the Man of Ashes to hold, this had not been it.

How could she hope to stare at those dark eyes in hatred for the rest of her life, when now she would forever see a remnant of that scared boy staring back at her?

Somewhere in the mess of her rattled mind, Rey found her voice.

“...But you refused to tell me anything. You were so afraid, so hurt...” she breathed, searching desperately for some sort of answer, no longer fearing that he would close up, or turn aggressive.

When he spoke, his voice was low and timid.

“Because...somewhere in the midst of my sleepless night, I decided I had come to fear one thing far more than sharing my past...”

“What?” she breathed, searching his dark eyes for understanding.

“Bearing your hatred forever, knowing that it doesn't have to be that way...” he murmured, eyes boring into hers “...The feeling that I had lost you was agony...”

Rey intuition could barely comprehend the rush of emotions that poured forth from his essence. She didn't even try to make sense of the fear, the hurt, or the longing. It was far too much.

“It will take me some time,” Kylo continued, as if he had not just cracked open like a dam “...and some things will be...very, very difficult, you must understand. But, I promise you, my lady, in time...I will share everything with you...”

Rey could only slowly shake her head, stunned.

“I don't know what to say...” she murmured, barely more than a whisper.

But she thought back on all that he had shown her, and what twisted her heart all the more was the realization that this was the first time he had shared this with _anyone_.

Rey seized her courage and reached across the gap between them, resting her hand atop his. He jumped in shock at the contact.

“Thank you for telling me. I...I can't imagine how difficult that was for you...” His shoulders gave a slight shudder, and Rey squeezed his hand tighter.

“It was...but, for the sake of doing right by you, my lady, I will continue to tell you my story.” he said, voice raw, but his resolve firm.

Rey shed a smile.

“That's all I wanted, Kylo,” she said, and Kylo turned his hand under hers, wrapping his fingers around her, and stood, gently pulling her to her feet too.

A dark, somber cloud seemed to cover her fiancé in the Ethereum.

“My Lady Rey, you and I both know that is a lie,” Kylo murmured, making Rey's pulse stutter again. But before her panic could fully rise again, he explained.

“What you truly want is to be free,” he said, voice full of sympathy and sorrow. Rey's expression fell – she could not deny the truth when he had seen inside her head.

Silence descended upon them.

Suddenly though, her fiancé stirred again and gently drew her other hand into his grasp, sending a vague, tingling sensation shooting up Rey's arm.

“I cannot break our deal, my lady,” Kylo said, and Rey was filled with the desire to break down in tears all over again.

“But...”

Her eyes shot up and locked with his.

“I will make one final amendment...” he said, voice heavy with resignation, as he lowered himself to rest on one knee again “The average length of an Imperial Courtship is four months. If...in four months time – baring in mind that the day we made our deal was the beginning of our courtship – and after we have observed all the traditions and customs and pleasantries...you still do not wish to marry me...you will be free to go. Without conditions.”

A moment passed.

Another.

Three.

Four.

He did not retract his words. He did not back-peddle, or make changes.

The Man of Ashes was serious. He would no longer force her to marry him. And, to punctuate his point, he rested his cool, helmed forehead against her hands in deference.

“You have my word, my lady,” he said, his voice low again. He rose from his knees, and was about to turn, the rough gentility of the skin of his hands almost slipping from her grasp.

She held on, tighter.

He started.

Rey's tears did, in fact, fall. But now, they were tears of joy.

“Thank you, Kylo. Thank you...” she whispered, sniffling.

Far from becoming condescending or cruel, or even smug about this latest change in his deal, Kylo seemed uncomfortable at the sight of her gratitude.

“Well – my lady – I'm told the basis of all good marriages is compromise,” he stuttered, using his dry sense of humor to hide his embarrassment.

Rey squeezed his hands gently once more, and let him go.

“It's certainly a start,” she said with a smile.

She gave her fiancé a brief curtsy, and he let her leave.

“Walk with me,” Rey murmured to Phasma once the doors to her fiancé's suite shut behind them.

They wandered through the halls of _The Desiderata_ until they found a quiet corner, where Rey told the Captain everything.

“In short...it turns out you were right...” said Rey, eyes starting to get puffy out of crying from shear relief.

“Of course I was,” said Phasma with a flippant, faux-narcissistic shrug, making Rey laugh and shed a few more tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days of lessons pass, and Rey learns a little bit more about her magicks, and her fiancé.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for dance lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNk9rvacryo

Rey's second lesson with Duke Pryde consisted of tearing into an old tome entitled _Magicks of the Ancient Mystics_ and tracing the genealogy of all major Mystic families. The point, Rey was quick to pick up on, was to showcase that all Mystics, whether they were Nightmares or Somni, came from the same point of origin, the same magickal gene pool. Regardless, it piqued her curiosity to bridge the gaps between the Sciences and History.

And while Pryde seemed to notice her improved mood, he made no comment. Tico, on the other hand...

“You seem...unusually cheerful this morning, my lady,” Madame Tico noted during social etiquette.

“I believe it's the simple matter of finally getting a proper night's sleep, Madame. I am unaccustomed to space travel, after all,” said Rey, brushing off the question with a gentle smile.

Naturally, the galaxy would seem brighter and more joyful, now that she was a free woman. But she didn't want to get into all that this morning. Especially not with Madame Tico.

The Commander stared at her, unconvinced.

“Very well, so long as your mood does not make your focus wander during lessons. Today we'll begin covering Conversational Etiquette,” said Tico, Rey standing perfectly straight before her, shifting her weight a bit to adjust to the day's mauve wedge heels, matching the flowing, satin, high-low dress of the same color.

Rey grimaced at the insinuation.

“Will it be akin to learning a new language, Madame?”

“That depends on your point of view. The language of the Court depends just as much on what goes unsaid, as what is said. For instance, a high-born lady might say to you at your engagement ball, 'In spite of your humble upbringing, you look stunning tonight, Lady Rey,' and it would be expected of you to respond with a complement in kind.”

Rey took a breath, clasped her hands in front of her, and tried.

“'Why thank you, Madame, might I say you look ravishing as well.'” Tico nodded curtly.

“Good. And if a gentlemen were to say, 'Congratulations on your smart match, Lady Rey. You are lucky to have so distinguished a fiance as his Lordship.'”

Rey resisted the desire to huff in frustration and merely responded, following Tico's lead and pacing a bit to keep her blood flowing.

“'Thank you, good sir. I am sure Lord Kylo thinks the union blessed as well.'”

“Well done. The rule of thumb is reflection. If you are asked about your troubles, ask a sympathetic question in turn. If you are complimented, return their praise. Remain respectful and courteous at all times. And refrain from asking after trivial gossip, matters of political interests or military matters, as those can only lead to trouble.” Rey saw her opening and jumped at the chance.

“And what would you advise, Madame, if all the compliments and commendations I am given are as under-handed as your examples?” Rey asked, assertive, but her tone even.

Tico started and stared at the floor in thought for a moment. Her hand came up to cover her mouth.

“My lady, I do apologize. You'll have to forgive me as I am still learning,” Tico said, aura resonating with shame in the Ethereum. Rey nodded soberly in understanding.

“I understand completely, Madame. I cannot expect you to unlearn a lifetime of conditioning in a matter of mere days.”

Tico's mouth ticked upward in what could have been a smile.

“Let us continue, my lady.”

After an hour or so of further exercises, responding to various hypothetical social situations, the Commander dismissed her, and Phasma escorted Rey to lunch in a nearby dining room, which today, she ate alone. After, Phasma escorted her back to the ballroom wing, placing her in front of the Grande Ballroom.

“You'll be having dance lessons in here, my lady,” Phasma gestured with a tilt of her head.

“Thank you, Captain. I'll see you in an hour,” said Rey, the picture of happiness to begin learning how to formally dance.

That was, until she opened up the double doors, revealing the grand marble staircase, the massive, gleaming, quartz-like room, the colossal glittering chandelier, and at the center of the room, a glowering General Hux.

~*~*~*~

Rey's heart dropped like a stone into her stomach. She whipped back towards Phasma.

“ _No way in the Thirteen Hells-_ ” Rey began in a vehement whisper.

“His Lordship altered the terms of his imprisonment – teaching you is a part of his parole. There was no other male officer aboard with the skills to teach you ballroom dancing properly,” Phasma hissed back, equal parts explaining and commanding.

“Need I remind you, he tried to kill my fox?!” Rey shot back. Phasma growled in frustration, taking Rey by the arm and dragging her into the room.

“BeeBee isn't here, and if it'll get you to stop being so headstrong, I'll stand guard inside the door. Now _go,_ ” said the Captain. Rey proceeded down the staircase, gripping the banister, but not before she shot at glare at Phasma and summoned up her best scowl to greet Hux with.

“Good afternoon, Lady Rey,” said Hux, with a false courtesy and a smile that looked so forced it seemed painful.

“Greetings, General Hux. Fancy seeing you out and about again,” Rey simpered, matching his fake pleasantness with a dreadfully sugar-coated tone of her own.

Hux' smile crumpled in on itself, and his gaze darkened.

“See here, Lady Rey, I'm about as pleased about this arrangement as you are. But seeing how I'd like to return to active duty, and you need someone to teach you how to dance, perhaps we could agree to not be at each other's throats the entire time to expedite this painful process?” Hux said under his breath.

“Perhaps we could. But that depends on your behavior as well as mine, General,” Rey threatened in kind. Hux' mouth curled in a snarl, and with a smart snap of his fingers, a silent servant clothed in gray in the room's periphery dropped the needle on a music player that had been polished to a golden sheen. A slow and steady waltz filled the room.

“Pray-tell, have you any experience with ballroom dancing at all?” Hux griped, closing the gap between Rey and himself, taking her right hand in his stiffly as they assumed a dance posture.

“Given that I come from a desert-town in the Outer Rim – no, General,” Rey snapped, eyes widening in disgust as Hux forcibly moved her left hand onto his shoulder and placed his own in a vice on her waist.

Hux snarled and rolled his eyes.

“Fine. We'll start from the beginning then. A waltz is counted in threes. Each beat is counted by the movement of your feet, and your right foot always moves first. Your male partner leads – you follow in his footsteps.”

With little warning, Hux began to move, pulling Rey along with him. First back, then left, then right, then forward, in a simplified box step of a waltz. Despite the curtness of his instructions, Rey was quick to pick up the pattern, count the rhythm on her toes, and find the dance's flow. She'd never ballroom danced before, but she knew how to keep time. The people of Niima danced something akin to a Cha-Cha, and Rey still recalled balmy nights of dancing with her parents and brother among an energetic crowd on the sandy streets.

Soon enough, Hux was leading her through bigger steps, striding and adding a bit of a spin to their turns, counting each step as a beat instead. Rey trailed along, already starting to feel the part of the elegant lady. It was almost too easy...

That wouldn't do at all.

Knowing Hux was about to step forward, Rey did too, crushing the toe of his boot under her heel.

The furious groan of pain he emitted made it almost too difficult for Rey to bite back her smile.

“Oh, sorry about that General. I am completely new to this, as I said.” Rey faux grimaced in sympathy.

“You did that on purpose, you harlot!” Hux growled, releasing from his grasp to take his weight off of his injured foot.

“I did nothing of the sort,” said Rey, holding her head high.

“Step on my toes as many times as you like, Lady Rey – I was _ordered_ to instruct you, and by the Gods of Ethereum, I will carry out my orders to the letter!” Hux hissed, grabbing her and dragging her back into their waltz stance, resuming their floating pattern across the floor.

Staring daggers at each other, the pair waltzed across the floor in perfect synchronicity. Rey followed Hux' lead immaculately, their turning steps leading them in elegant orbits and figure-eight patterns. All the while, Rey tried to predict her partner's moves and step on Hux' toes. However, the General was onto her little game now and always anticipated her next move, whipping his foot out of harm's way at the last moment, driving Rey's ire even higher.

It was a contest of wills, and despite Rey's resistance, Hux forced her through an occasional spin. In turn, Rey fought to take the lead from her partner, with mixed success and few more satisfying toe-crunches.

By the time the lesson ended, Hux had taught her a basic Imperial waltz routine, lead her through rough promenade steps, turns under his arm, wide spins, floating basse waltz steps, the General had bruised at least four toes, and, were they able to, they would've murdered each other with their gaze.

The concluding bow and curtsy they traded was as stiff and loathsome as they could muster, and Rey departed the ballroom without so much as a farewell.

Rey was elated that the dance lesson had been her final one of the day, and she collapsed onto her bed with a huff, scratching behind BeeBee's ears when he requested pets with a shriek.

“...Would now be a good time to mention next week's change in schedule, my lady?” Phasma asked, inordinately hesitant.

“What change, Phasma?” Rey asked, tiredly.

“Let it be known, my lady, this change is purely in the interest of preparing you for the ball-”

“Just tell me, Phasma.” The Captain sighed.

“They'll be a substitution with your Monday morning History lessons with Pryde.”

“What will I have instead?”

“...Ballroom dancing with Hux.”

Rey could only flop over onto her stomach and scream into her pillow.

~*~*~*~

After a tedious morning of conversational manners with Tico and musing through her over-packed closet, trying to choose the perfect outfit for the Engagement Ball, Rey was only too happy to escape to Dinner Etiquette with Connix, hoping that the Lieutenant's research had born fruit.

“Good afternoon, Miss Connix!” said Rey, sweeping into the dining room, excitement plain on her face. Connix greeted her with a tight-lipped smile.

“Afternoon, Lady Rey. Please be seated.”

Rey all but sprinted to her chair, settling in.

“Miss Connix-”

“Before you get your hopes up too much, Lady Rey, I must be honest. I combed through and cross-referenced records of every Hellfire missile attack, and any mentions of Jarvis and Luna Somnus. I'm sorry, my lady, but I've yet to find any information on your parents.”

Rey's heart dropped into her stomach.

“Nothing? Nothing, whatsoever?” Connix shook her head sadly.

“I'm afraid not, my lady. As far as I can tell, there can be only two reasons for the discrepancy in information. One, it was a covert mission, and I lack the security clearance to view the files. Unlikely,” said Connix with a shrug “but possible. Or...”

The Lieutenant hesitated.

“What is it, Miss Connix?” Rey asked, her heart starting to thump faster in worry.

“...Are you certain your surname is Somnus, Lady Rey?” Connix hazarded to ask. Rey's eyebrows shot up, her world-view shuddering at the question.

“As far as I know, it is, Miss Connix.” Connix folded her hands demurely in her lap, a conciliatory gesture.

“Then afraid my trail on the subject has run cold.”

Their lunch of vegetable soup and a variety platter of raw fish passed in silence.

“...Perhaps we merely need to attack the problem from a different angle,” Rey said, as she and Connix rose from their seats together after their meal. “My childhood home was on Crescent Street in Niima, I believe. Would you be willing to check the records for any Hellfire missile attacks in that area, Miss Connix?” Rey hazarded to ask.

Connix gifted her a warm smile.

“I'd gladly continue the search for you, my lady. Anything to help a friend.”

Connix' words warmed her heart, making Rey hesitate to leave the dining room so quickly.

“Might this friend be willing to grant me the privilege of knowing her full name, then, given that she already knows mine? It feels a bit unnatural to refer to someone so close to me in age in so formal a manner...especially when it's just the two of us here.” Rey said gently. Connix chuckled, prompting her to smile.

“Kaydel. Kaydel Ko Connix, at your service, Rey Somnus.” Rey stepped up to the Lieutenant and clasped her hand in gratitude.

“Even if your research only leads to more dead-ends, know that I am incredibly grateful for your help, Kaydel.” Connix squeezed her hand back.

“You're welcome, Rey.”

Rey emerged from the dining hall to greet Phasma, her soul rejuvenated, but her body still tired.

“Any chance I'm done with the day's lessons, Captain?” Rey asked with a lethargic sigh.

“Apologies, my lady, Thursdays are your busy days. You still have a Magick Lesson with his Lordship remaining. To balance out your busy week, however, the two days after tomorrow are free of lessons. His Lordship insisted on you receiving a bit of a break.”

Rey mused over this and decided magick lessons with her fiancé didn't sound so bad.

“Alright then, Captain. I think I can find my way to that lesson just fine, if you are needed elsewhere?”

“With your permission of leave, my lady?”

“Granted, Captain.”

With a curt nod, Phasma turned on her heels and went the other way, dark cloak billowing behind her. No doubt, she had to take care of some other Imperial business, a bit more crucial than guiding Rey down corridors that she was starting to grow familiar with.

Rey made a mental note to spend her free time this weekend exploring the rest of the ship and familiarizing herself with the whole structure. While she the knew the dining, conference, and ballroom wings well at this point, as well as the ship's heart where her suite was, she'd yet to explore the kitchens, gardens, or main deck as well as she would have liked.

In a few minutes, she'd arrived outside the door to her fiancé's suite and knocked. The doors flew open promptly, and her Lord's brightened presence in the Ethereum was immediately palpable.

“Good afternoon, my lady,” he greeted, and Rey could hear the smile in his voice, though his helmet still hid it from view.

“Good afternoon, Kylo,” said Rey, stepping confidently into the room. The Emperor's Hand launched right into his lesson-plan.

“So, my lady, I did a bit of research following your last lesson in Mystic Magicks. Based on what I found, I thought we might try a more specific exercise today. Considering your magicks are similar in tone and tint to those identified as Nymph abilities-”

Kylo raised his right, gloved hand and beckoned at the corner of his room. The sickly potted plant was floated towards him, buoyed on a river of shadows. He directed the urn to the center of the room where it settled back on the floor.

“I thought it might be prudent to experiment with life-giving or rejuvenating abilities,” he concluded, gesturing at the sorry-excuse for a stalk. Rey approached the plant wearily.

“You'd like me to try to...heal it?” she asked.

“Heal it, restore it, breathe new life into it – any variation still leads the same result.” said Kylo, his essence in the Ethereum abuzz with curiosity and a thirst for discovery.

“And you're confident that I should be able to do this, given what you saw in my magicks? No more trial and error?” Rey asked, still hesitant, glancing at her calloused, Duster hands. Kylo closed the gap between them, slow and hesitant.

“Yes, Lady Rey, I am. Your magicks clearly illustrated an incredible capacity for healing and nurturing. You just need to give them a purpose and call them forth,” her fiancé said, low and reverent.

Rey fluttered her fingers nervously, a small smile crossing her expression. She would have been lying to herself if she said she didn't find his words flattering.

“I'll give it my best shot, but I make no promises, Kylo.”

“Of course, my lady. Take your time,” said Kylo, the picture of patience, when just two days prior he'd been boiling over in anger.

Rey let out a bewildered sigh and slipped her eyes shut. She centered herself and let her consciousness dip into the Ethereum and float among its heavenly stars. She reached out to the feeble energies of the humble plant before her and pushed.

...Despite her mental urging to inject vitality and life into the plant, when she peeked one eye open, it was still dying.

Rey groaned in frustration.

“Try again, my lady, but do not force yourself so,” he said, circling to stand behind her, just over her shoulder “Gently persuade the plant to follow your lead – it is not a matter of forcing your will upon it, but putting your will and its to the same shared task,” he encouraged.

Rey wrinkled her nose and tried again.

Still, though she could sense a tumult of energy in the Ethereum warping around the plant, tumbling and twisting, it resisted her help.

“I don't think I can do it, Kylo – I've limited my magicks for far too long.” Rey exclaimed, disappointed in herself. Kylo hummed in thought, a gentle, comforting presence beside her.

“Please attempt it once more before we end the lesson today, my lady...perhaps it would help if you considered the act of healing no different than delivering a dream?” Kylo suggested.

“But they are completely different abilities!”

“Yet all magicks come from the same root. Try bringing life the same way you would bring a dream – creating a psychological connection between the processes may help bridge the gap in your magick.”

Rey bunched her lips to one side, uncertain. But, regardless, she shut her eyes, and imagined her intuition reaching out to determine the dream this life-form most needed. Though the plant lacked a consciousness, clearly what it needed most was energy, a bit of zest, a shock to its system. It short, it needed hope. And Rey focused all her energies on delivering that hope.

When her eyes popped open, Rey shrieked with delight. The single brown stalk of plant had unfurled into a healthy green bushel of leaves, bursting from a central trunk. There were even a few long-stemmed buds growing from the plant's heart, green and young though they still were.

Kylo's laugh was a bark of elation.

“Well done, my lady! Stars, you've brought it back from nearly the brink of death!” Rey could only laugh with joy.

“All this time, and I had no idea! What else could I be capable of?” she mused.

“I'm not quite sure, my lady, but with your permission, I intend to find out,” said Kylo, voice ringing with youthful curiosity, despite the mask's muffling, deepening effect.

Rey couldn't recall a time when Kylo's infrasonic voice had sounded so light, so joyful, so human in placement and timbre.

She looked at her mentor and grinned, though there was a nervous lilt to it. With each passing day, she was straying further from her Duster abilities. How long until she could no longer access them at all?

Just as a test, she rubbed her fingers together idly. The golden dream dust began to immediately fall from her fingertips.

“What's wrong, my lady?” Kylo asked, voice soft. Her attention darted up to her fiance. How quickly she'd forgotten his sharp intuition.

“It's nothing really, my lord,” she murmured.

“It must be the quite the opposite, if you're calling me 'my lord.'” he countered, though not unkindly. Rey took a deep breath for courage and spoke her mind.

“Kylo, as curious as I too am about what other magicks I possess, I worry. I don't want to lose my Duster abilities forever out of mere curiosity. My job, my abilities...even if I may never go out Dusting in Niima again, it is piece of me. It always was...It would be heart-breaking to lose.”

She saw Kylo's brows furrow beyond the helm's green visor. But more than that, she felt his sympathy sweep through him in the Ethereum.

“I understand, my lady. But, if my theory holds water, I suspect you won't lose your abilities at all, merely accrue new ones.” Rey's brow tilted inward further in worry, prompting him to sigh.

“But, if you feel your Duster abilities are starting to leave you – the moment they should start to decrease, let me know, and we will not continue our lessons any further,” he said, fingers hesitantly twitching before he reached for her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

She gifted him a little half smile.

“Thank you for understanding, Kylo.”

“Of course, my lady,” And he was quick to release her hands. “That will be all for today. You are dismissed. I will see you tomorrow for your last lesson of the week,” he said, courteously.

Rey nodded and walked towards Kylo's front door...then stalled and hesitated.

She'd thought of an innocuous enough question, mulled it over thoroughly in anticipation of her next lesson with him. She should just ask.

“Kylo...might I ask you something?” He abruptly turned, equal parts surprised and pleased.

“Of course, my lady.”

Rey bit her lip. She should clarify a little bit more than that.

“About your past life, I mean...” she said, quietly. His shoulders tensed, but after a brief moment of contemplation, he answered.

“My ability to answer will depend on the question. But...by all means, ask, Lady Rey,” he said, calmly, though his tone revealed his vulnerability. Rey's smile came to her naturally.

“What was your favorite hobby when you were young?”

To her delight, the Emperor's Hand actually huffed in laughter, the noise sounding a bit garbled coming from his mask.

“Truly? That is your all-important question you wish to be answered?” he asked, tone humorous.

Rey shrugged innocuously.

“It's not so severe a question that it would be too soon to ask, but it will still give me a sense of your personality and character,” she murmured, demurely.

His dark eyes crinkled at the corners from his smile.

“Seeing as you've considered the task so carefully, how can I refuse you an answer? Let me think...” Kylo mused, crossing his arms and staring at the floor. After a moment or two, he picked up his head.

“In all honesty, I suppose my chief childhood hobby was getting into trouble,” said Kylo, chuckling warmly “Going where I wasn't supposed to, reading forbidden texts, breaking curfew, hot-wiring transports, that sort of thing,” he said, brushing off his youthful immaturity with a flippant wave of his hand.

Rey grinned, more than happy with his answer.

“How interesting that we were so alike – getting into trouble was my favorite childhood hobby too,” Rey said, slipping out the door with a backward-glancing smile.


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Further lessons - both for Rey, and, unexpectedly, BeeBee - reveal that there may be something there that wasn't there before.

“What do you know about the Son's Heir's rise to power, Lady Rey?” asked Duke Pryde, to begin their scholarly discussion the next morning. Rey chewed her lips in thought, pacing over to her usual seat at the front of the conference room.

“Beyond that he brought about the Empire as we know it, and fell at the hands of Darth Vader, not much, I'm afraid,” Rey confessed, settling herself at the front of her seat, tentatively.

Pryde's eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise.

“How unusual for you, Lady Rey. You gave every impression thus far to have a thorough understanding of Mystic history.” Rey could only shrug.

“We didn't have many books specifically about the rise and fall of the Son's Heir on Jakku,” she said, by way of explanation. Pryde hummed in thought, nodding.

“Then, I suppose it is best we start with his origins,” said Pryde, extinguishing the light in the room with a wave his hand, the shadows jumping at his command to snuff it out. He pulled the presentation canvas down from its roll against the wall, and turned on the Illuminator, allowing him to project his lecture, in spite of the fine, shadowy mist that followed him everywhere.

A picture of a stormy-ridden water-planet appeared on the first magnified slide.

“The Son's Heir's birth name is lost to the annals of History. He is known only by the title he came to be known and feared by. But, he often boasted about his humble origins. The Heir began his life as a dissenting Republic Boreal Guard, an entry-level Infantryman, born and trained to serve on the planet Kamino. His only concept of parents were a pair of Lunar Mystics named Taun We and Lama Su, who created the Heir, like most of the Mystic Infantry, by splicing together strong strains of collected Mystic DNA.”

The next slide showed a file photo of the tall, pale, elegant Lunars, dressed in their traditional long blue robes.

“Though most Infantrymen in those days were explicitly programmed from birth to maintain a unconventional level of obedience and follow orders impeccably, the Heir did not.”

The photo on the next slide showed lines and lines of the Republic's white armored soldiers, standing in perfect, shoulder-to-shoulder formation.

“He saw the system of creating children in vitro to serve the Republic as inhumane and barbaric.”

“I can hardly blame him for having that view,” Rey said hoarsely, her stomach heaving at the thought of thousands of malleable, manipulated, test-tube children.

“Indeed,” said Pryde, darkly “As such, he hot-wired a spacecraft and escaped off-world, vowing to return to free his people. What happened next was corroborated based on eye-witness accounts, and the Heir's own sermons. He had the homing beacon the Lunars had placed in his neck surgically removed. He traveled the galaxy in many a stolen space craft. He studied ancient texts, finding he could read the dead languages with ease, learned of the Ethereum, the Father, Daughter, and Son, the Somni and the Nightmares – the whole Mystic History.

“The Heir tells of having found a planet unlike any other in galaxy. This planet's location is still unknown – as such, we cannot truly know if it exists. But, the Heir claims to have found a source of raw, Ethereal magick there. More than that, a well of a dark kind of magick only Nightmares could wield.

“There the Heir claims to have been given incredible Seer abilities, as well as Infernal magicks that had never been seen before,” said Pryde, voice lacking in any reverence, merely reporting the tale in a severe fashion.

“And thus came to be the first Inferi,” Rey murmured.

“While that is true, Lady Rey, it should be noted that no other Inferi magicks have proved to be so spontaneous and sudden in nature. They came to be passed down genetically as any other Mystic magick.”

This statement stirred a thought in Rey. If Inferi abilities left a genetic mark...could that not be another way to learn of her fiancé's past? She need only examine the line of inheritance – all Inferis were related in one fashion or another. The possibility excited her, but Rey was quick to turn to her attention back to Pryde's lecture.

She needed to focus on the task at hand. Another time.

“From there, the Heir returned to Kamino and freed any Republic Infantrymen that remained stationed on the planet, helping them disappear throughout the galaxy, though a select few remained at his side and vowed to personally serve him. The Heir began to preach, now a Mystic wrapped in a cloak of darkness, not often deigning to reveal his face. He began to gain followers who found kernels of truth to his Nightmare scripture. After all, up to this point, most religions in the galaxy had been following the tenets of Somni teachings,” said Pryde, putting up a picture of a Somni Celeste temple on the projection to illustrate his point.

“And what would be seen as a deficit in Somni teachings, when compared to Nightmare teachings, my lady?” posed the Duke, whirling to face her, a curious smile already quirking his lips.

“The Somni valued selflessness, generosity and valor. These values lead to the formation of religions that demanded sacrificing one's own happiness for the happiness of the community and the galaxy at large. Many were weary of the sacrifice for sacrifice's sake philosophy. Many more still resented Somni religion's insistence on putting family second – some to the point of enforcing life-long vows of celibacy. Naturally, to those dissatisfied with the Somni way, a religion that encouraged freedom of expression, engaging in what makes you happy, and reveling in your passions, would have been viewed as more favorable – if not an outright deliverance from a difficult system,” Rey answered carefully, her smile growing to match her tutor's.

Pryde _thumped_ the podium, beaming.

“Excellently phrased, Lady Rey, fantastic work! As History tells, the Heir's flock grew tremendous – Nox, Umbras, Nyxs, Golems, Daemons, Pyrites, and still more Mystics joined his cause and rallied under his banner. He became popular to the point where even politicians in power wanted to lend an ear, and later,” Pryde switched out a slide to project an image of Republic warships, floating in Coruscant's upper atmosphere “Arms, money, and resources.

“In short order, the Heir became elected into office – a senator, man of the people, promising to bring change to system. To say this came to be is an outright fabrication. The Heir did not change the system, he instead created an entirely new one. With a silver tongue and keen knowledge of how to pit the Republic against itself, he managed to seize absolute control of the Senate, and transform the Republic into an Empire.

“What followed, of course, was the Great War – but that tale, my lady, is reserved for our next lesson,” Pryde said, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye “For the time being, we press on to the Son's Heir's Apprentice, a man whom you know well.”

“Darth Vader, the Second Inferi,” Rey said, darkly. Pryde transferred the slide, projecting a picture of the Hellish Inferi in question, darkly cloaked and wearing his instantly recognizable sharply-angled, warlord helmet that doubled as an iron-lung, allowing the cyborg-man to breathe.

“Born Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader's exact journey to become the Apprentice of the Son's Heir is still hotly debated among scholars. His origins are known well enough – he was born on the planet of Tatooine, a slave and an Astrae, won his freedom, and due to the careers of the Mystics that delivered him from that life, joined the Boreal Guard. None quite know why the quiet boy became a man shrouded in such mystery and anger. Some claim it was the death of his mother, a preventable tragedy that occurred later in his life. Others say it was the Guard's repeated refusal of his proposal to join the Boreal Guard's Elite Council. And a few scholars believe that it could have a doomed, forbidden love affair, silenced by the historically celibate council – though little evidence exists to support this theory.

“Regardless, the Son's Heir adopted Darth Vader as a faithful apprentice, and ruled the Empire absolutely until his death at the hand's of the very pupil he trusted so completely. For a time, the Empire fell into disarray and the Republic rose anew. At least, until the emergence of the Heir's spiritual successor in Emperor Snoke, and the cycle of Nightmare versus Somni was reignited – but I do not wish to conclude on that dark note, my lady. Instead, let me pose this question to you: how did such a powerful, formidable, knowledgeable Mystic as the Son's Heir, fall from power?”

Rey choked on her laugh, trying to tamp it down out of respect for her professor. The question was far too easy.

“Because his trust in his pupil was blind – absolute! He never considered betrayal a possibility, and so it managed to sneak up on him!”

“True, Lady Rey,” said Pryde, crossing his arms in front of his chest “But was that truly the source of his failure – merely placing his trust in the wrong person? Think back to the Heir's rise to power, what he did, how he learned about magick and Mystics.”

Rey mused over the question. Despite its complexity, and her certainty that she wouldn't be able to come up with a satisfying, all-encompassing answer to such a question, a sudden moment of clarity made the answer plain to her.

“In his studies of the Mystic way of life, he largely explored tomes on the Son's teachings, correct?”

Pryde's eyes glimmered, though his expression remained impassive.

“Yes, Lady Rey.”

“Then, the Heir's greatest source of failure was not exploring a holistic education of the Ethereum and magick – he only came to know the Nightmares ways well. Had he also read up on Somni traditions and magicks, he would have had a more comprehensive understanding of Mystics and magick as a whole. He would've understood more clearly that the division between Somni and Nightmares is a superficial one, and could have anticipated Darth Vader's betrayal.

“He would have known, no matter what he taught his apprentice, Darth Vader could be persuaded to return to the Somni way and rediscover his old magicks and identity at any time, if given the proper motivation – in this case, the impending murder of the son whom he loved.” Rey said, her heart ballooning with pride.

Pryde applauded her heartily, grinning, his razor teeth flashing.

“Brilliantly reasoned, my lady, very well done indeed! You are dismissed, I will see you Wednesday morning for our next lesson!”

Rey smiled at the praise, but grimaced inwardly at the thought that her Monday lesson of scholarly debate was being replaced with dancing with Hux.

...Speaking of which, she had dance lessons with him next, she recalled, rolling her eyes as she made for the dance halls at the stem of the ship.

The review of the waltz choreography and mannerisms went abysmally in Rey's opinion. She only managed to step on Hux' toes twice.

Eating lunch with Phasma, however, who was experiencing a brief reprieve from running drills with low-ranking Imperial recruits, helped brighten her mood significantly in time for her magick lesson with Kylo.

The door to his suite opened upon her arrival in front of it, sans a knock.

“Come in, my lady,” said her fiance, warmly, gesturing broadly with a sweep of his arm, his cloak fluttering behind him. On the floor-space between them were several small clay containers of potting soil, each containing a plant of varying types at a differing state of growth. By Rey's untrained eye, she could identify a small, gangly tree, two bushes, three flowering tropical plants, with blue, violet and pink blooms, and two prickly succulents.

“Today I wanted to try something a bit more nuanced. I would like to see what potential you can pull out of these specimens from the Conservatory,” Kylo instructed, stepping up across from her on the other side of the wall of pots. Rey clasped her hands in front of her, brow furrowing.

“What do you mean by potential, Kylo?” Rey asked, bemused.

“See where you can take them – how much can you encourage them to grow, essentially,” he responded, encouraging “See if you can bring them to bloom or have them bear fruit.”

Rey mused, rubbing her hands together experimentally to warm herself up.

“I don't see how that's all that different from getting them to grow, but by all means, I'll attempt it,” she murmured, approaching the little tree on her left first.

Reaching into the Ethereum, the energy signature of the tree jumped out at her, and took to her dream-like offer of hope and life like a creature dying of thirst being offered water. Without opening her eyes, Rey could tell the tree had shot up at least two feet in height, its young leaves darkening to a rich emerald, its roots starting to grow over the lip of its planting pot.

She proceeded down the row, her focus unwavering, and her eyes shut tight. With relative ease and an artistic flourish of her wrists, as if she were painting a canvas many times her height and width, Rey saw gleaming gold and sky blue magick flow from her fingertips and from the Ethereum's twinkling stars into the plants, traveling along their xylem and phloem, practically bursting from the tips of their leaves and the petals of their flowers. The succulents swelled with water, their cells turning turgid and little pink flowers popped into existence on their prickly stalks. The bushes burst into bloom with modest yellow and white flowers, only for the little things to wither and fall away, rich, dark-colored berries taking their place, full and round with sweet juice. The tropical flowers grew in size, and the flowers gave rise to filial stalks whose buds bloomed as well.

When Rey reached the end of the line of pots, she opened her eyes and her senses reeled from the technicolor spectacle and the fragrant, sweet smells.

The smile that split her face was radiant, and she cautiously approached the berry bushes she'd inspired and picked one of the round little fruits, popping it into her mouth. The tangy, sweet flavor burst on her tongue and she shed a satisfied smile.

Glancing at her mentor to see what he thought of her handy-work, she found Kylo Ren standing stock still, rendered utterly speechless.

“...How?” he finally murmured, infrasonic voice incredulous. Rey could only raise her hands in a shrug, bewildered herself.

“I'm honestly not sure – but, after figuring out the transference of energy and how to encourage growth yesterday, this was much easier in comparison.”

“...I had intended for this lesson to last an hour...” he breathed, his modulated voice hiccuping with a breathy laugh of wonder. Rey chuckled.

“Well, now you can use this time for other pursuits,” she said with an easy smile. Kylo chuckled warmly, his eyes bright beyond the green slit in his visor.

“Stars, I'm going to run out of things to teach you before long, aren't I?” Before Rey could respond to that affectionate almost-compliment, the sound of scratching and high whining at the door between their suites distracted her.

Rey groaned in sympathy.

“It's BeeBee – he can smell the cacti! Do you mind terribly if I let him in? He always loved having the sweet water as a treat.”

“By all means, my lady,” he answered kindly. Rey wandered over to the door-lock, having to confirm that she was releasing the lock-down by pressing her thumb to the bio-scanner before the doors would part at her behest.

BeeBee was quick to bolt into the room but Rey was a hair quicker.

“BeeBee – sit!!” The fox barked shrilly, whining in protest, but he was quick to drop down into a crouch on his haunches, twitching with anticipation.

Rey broke off a sizable chunk of the cacti, careful to avoid the thorns, and tossed it to her fox, who was quick to pounce on the flying succulent and tackle it to the ground, chewing through the crunchy, sweet skin with zeal, and lapping up every drop of sugary water from the gourd, even the droplets that had splattered on the tile as it flew through the air, eliminating any need for clean up.

Rey could only chuckle in delight at seeing her companion made so happy by a homey comfort.

...The moment abruptly passed however, as the second BeeBee was done eating, he began charging about the room at high speed, hyperactive and squeaking.

“ _BeeBee, no!! Not on the bed!_ ” Rey shrieked in panic, trying to dive after the fox to catch him, even as he ran circles around the room, outstripping both her and Kylo's lunges after the creature as he careened off the desk, bounced off the bed, slalomed under the chair-legs, and over again.

Whereas the little fox managed to avoid every obstacle with agility and speed, Kylo and Rey up-ended two chairs and managed to break open at least one pot in their clumsy attempts to catch him.

Finally though, Kylo made the clever move of using a few shadow-tendrils to catch the fox for him, extending his reach beyond his physical capabilities as he fell flat on his stomach on his giant bed, catching BeeBee out of mid-air and pulling him gently back into his waiting arms.

“Caught you, you little vixen,” Kylo grunted, holding him secure in his grasp. BeeBee let out a pitiful little ear-wrenching whine. “Easy, little one, I mean you no harm,” he said gently, rising from the coverlet to deposit the creature back in his mistress' outstretched arms.

Rey glanced about the formerly immaculate chamber floor, now strewn with potting soil and dotted with baked clay fragments, the little tree lying parallel with the floor.

“I'm so sorry, Kylo-” began Rey, not so much afraid as she was truly regretful that BeeBee was responsible for the mess. But her fiancé cut her off.

“There is no need, my lady. It's just a bit of dirt,” he said, with a placating wave of his hand. “If I was so concerned about the state of my quarters, I wouldn't have brought the plants in here in the first place.” Rey let out a sigh of relief that he was so understanding.

“The trouble is that BeeBee's been cooped up in my suite all week.” Rey tried to explain, heart bleeding a twinge in sympathy for her companion, absentmindedly running her fingers through his fur “He's a wild animal, he's used to having a whole desert of space to run around and dig and hunt – throughout my childhood, we didn't even let him inside the apartment. He's restless, if not feeling utterly trapped.”

“I never said you were required to keep him sequestered in your suite, my lady,” Kylo said, eyebrows lifting in sympathy.

“'Soon he will have new quarters, far from your own, Hux'” Rey said, reminding Kylo of his de-escalating words to his senior officer the day he'd pulled a gun on her fox. “Mostly after the scare with the General, I didn't want to run the risk of having their paths cross again, or else, for BeeBee to get targeted by someone new.”

Kylo hummed in thought, his tone somber.

“I see your point, my lady. By all means, take him out for a walk tomorrow. I'll inform the staff that he might be out and about at times. Considering the security clearances that are required to enter any crucial service and military operations areas aboard...it should be easy enough to avoid trouble,” he murmured hesitantly.

“You don't sound so sure, Kylo,” Rey gently noted, to which he could only sigh.

“It's entirely possible that another one of my officers could gain an animosity for the creature like Hux did,” he admitted, begrudging and melancholy. He reached out to BeeBee, slowly, and the fox sniffed his glove and accepted the gentle pats on his head happily.

“If only he wasn't so willful and wild, I could teach him to walk with a leash,” Rey sighed, scratching her vixen's ears and receiving a whistling purr in return “It wouldn't exactly be a fool-proof security measure, but I'm sure it would help mitigate most of the mischief he could get into.”

Kylo removed his hand, humming in thought.

“Perhaps...there is a way.”

Rey smiled, bittersweet.

“I've tried training him like one would a dog, Kylo, but when it comes to obeying commands, he's all cat. He tends to follow orders on his own terms. And any time I tried to put a leash on him, he tore it to shreds.” But Kylo was insistent.

“Grab something that could pass as a lead from your closet,” he directed, taking BeeBee off her hands.

Rey sighed, but ambled through the doorway to her room, and after rooting through her accessory drawers in her walk-in closet, found a red length of coiled rope with tassels on the ends, intended to be used as a simple belt.

When Rey returned to her fiancé's side, her question was silenced by a glance. BeeBee's round, keen eyes had been eclipsed by a periwinkle, silvery white light. In a moment, the silver light defused from his gaze, BeeBee's warming into their normal, dark, honeyed-gold.

“Did you just...” Rey started, a smile of wonder curling her lips.

Kylo huffed in laughter.

“I bridged our minds with my limited Telepathy and explained the purpose of the rope to him.” Kylo set the fox on the floor, who stood with his tail raised and ears pricked.

“Try your operant conditioning now, my lady,” he said, voice ringing with pride. Rey approached one of the potted succulents, pulse fluttering hopefully as she broke off a number of bite-sized chunks, returning to stand before her panting fox.

“BeeBee, sit,” Rey commanded, her palm flat in front of her. The sandy-colored fox was quick to obey this one. 'Sit' was one of the few commands BeeBee reliably responded to. She tossed him a piece of cacti, which he crunched to a pulp.

“BeeBee, stay.” Rey cautioned, holding her hand in a loose fist. Beyond a flick of his ear, the vixen didn't stir as she took a few steps away. Hesitantly, Rey tied a loop into the red belt as BeeBee chewed on his second treat.

In a smooth, slow motion, she crouched down and placed the loop over his head, lowering it onto a spot near his shoulder blades and chest, looping it under his legs, and securing it with a knot at his back while BeeBee munched away on a third cacti piece.

Rey rose and walked a few steps away from the critter, leaving the leash lax in her hands

“BeeBee, come,” she instructed, tapping her knee. And without hesitation, the fox walked to her side. Rey lit up with delight, rewarding BeeBee accordingly, and practicing a few more little saunters about the suite before declaring total victory – even managing to easily pull him away from devouring the cacti plant that was still in its pot with a mere gentle tug at his lead.

Rey swept the fox up her arms, scratching his ears in the way he loved, prompting the fox to whine with joy.

“You did it!” she exclaimed, elated “Stars, you did such a good job, BeeBee! I'm so proud of you – good boy, BeeBee!” Rey chuckled, setting the vixen down on the floor and allowing him to curiously sniff about the suite at his leisure, much calmer now that his belly was so full. Meeting the happy eyes of her fiancé as he chuckled warmly at the sight, Rey was seized with the sudden desire to thank him.

Before she could over-think and hesitate, Rey crossed to him, stretched up to throw her arms over his shoulders, and drew him into a hug, the tall man stiffening in her embrace – giving her the brief impression that she was hugging a statue instead of a living man.

“Thank you, Kylo,” she said, voice quiet, as her confidence quickly fled from her, her pulse accelerating nervously.

Did she make the right choice?

Then Kylo's unexpectedly muscular arms encircled her warmly, holding her tight, and a peculiar sensation swept over her, both of being incredibly fragile and completely safe, all at once.

It was one she'd never experienced in her life before, and it encouraged her arms to tighten around him, just slightly.

“You're most welcome, my lady,” he murmured, voice low and making her pulse flutter, having the sound so close to her ear. His grip relaxed the moment her arms started to slip back down his shoulders, letting her retreat to an arm's length apart.

Drawing their hands away from each left Rey feeling bewildered and chilled, a peculiar sensation of emptiness settling in her stomach.

Kylo cleared his throat, eyes darting around, not meeting her gaze.

“Just...make sure BeeBee doesn't get into too much trouble, leash or no leash. I can only abate the anger of my staff to a point,” he said, his dry sense of humor not quite rising to his defense. There was too much of a nervous warble to his tone.

...Had she done that?

“Of course, Kylo, I'll look after him and hold myself accountable for his actions, as ever,” Rey was quick to blurt out, scooping BeeBee up off the floor in the effort to hide her rising blush, leash trailing in the scattered soil as she made for her chambers.

“Enjoy your two days of rest, my lady. I'll see you on Tuesday for our next lesson,” Kylo said, mild and impersonal.

Rey hesitated just inside the threshold of her suite, hand lingering over the bio-scanner. She had intended to ask him another question about his past, but now her pulse was thundering too fiercely for her to loosen her tongue.

“Er – would you be needing cuttings of the cacti? Just in case? For BeeBee?” Kylo said, still stilted and unsure, making Rey's pulse beat faster still.

“Yes, thank you, that would be most helpful,” she said, only glancing at the Emperor's Hand.

“I'll...have Phasma deliver them with your dinner...” he said, trailing off as if he had something more he wished to say.

Rey took in a deep breath for courage.

“Yes? What is it, Kylo?” she asked, far too quietly for her liking. His eyes darted up to meet hers.

“You...do not have a personal question for me today...?” he asked, so quietly she almost missed it. She couldn't hope to restrain the smile that graced her lips at his sweet hesitance.

“I did, actually. Um...if it weren't for your sire's offer of a title, if you hadn't become an Imperial Knight...what do you think you would've done – as a career?” Rey stammered, wishing her tongue would stop rebelling against her.

“That's...a difficult one,” Kylo mused, propping his elbow on his arm and tapping at the chin of his mask. “I was always fascinated by History in school – but I doubt I would've had the patience to teach it or to study it as Duke Pryde does...I'm not sure that I know the answer to that one, my lady...”

After a moment of quiet, Rey was about to speak up and say it was alright if Kylo didn't have an answer, when he let out a bark of laughter.

“What am I saying? Of course I know – I would've become a pilot, like my fath...”

He was jovial, until the reason for his favored profession crossed his mind, and ash tumbled from his shoulders in a dark cloud. His presence in the Ethereum plunged into a dark, cold pond, and fear took hold of Rey's heart. It was too much, too soon. She back-peddled.

“...I'm sorry – I shouldn't have asked, that was careless of me, I-”

“Don't be sorry, my lady,” Kylo breathed, his voice neither angry, nor drenched in sorrow “I shouldn't hesitate to speak the truth,” Taking a deep breath, Kylo met her eyes, his gaze gentle and vulnerable again.

“I would've taken after my father, and trained to be a pilot.” Rey nodded, considerate and offering him her full attention.

“Thank you,” she murmured, offering him an encouraging smile, knowing how desperately he needed it.

“No. Thank you, my lady,” Kylo said, his voice warm and rich, despite the bass hum of his mask, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled.

The tender tone of his voice alone was enough to send her pulse galloping away with her.

“Goodnight, Kylo!” she exclaimed, quick and nervous, pressing her thumb to the bio-scanner and locking the doors shut.

Rey scurried about her suite, untying BeeBee from his leash and proceeding to wash it clean of the soil debris in her bathroom's porcelain sink before taking a cleansing shower herself. There was solace to be found in the warm water relaxing her tired muscles, and the cool tile soothing the burning sensation in her face and forehead.

One thought alone that night crossed Rey's mind more prevalently than the mad flurry of all the others.

_Nine heavens, I'm in trouble..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3<3


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey explores the ship on her free day, meets a few interesting characters on the staff, and learns some shocking, new information.

Rey awoke the next morning and stretched out in her bed leisurely, smiling at the absence of Phasma's voice waking her because it reminded her that she didn't have lessons today. She ate at her own pace, unhurried and reveling in the sweetness of the berries in her bowl of porridge as she passed BeeBee his breakfast of crispy pork jerky.

After putting her hair in waves and brushing on a bit of modest makeup (rather well, she had to admit), Rey donned a satin, pale-blue, knee-length dress with cut-off sleeves and cute wedge heels of the same color that strapped around her ankles. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, feeling very pretty this morning. Stuffing the cloth bag of cacti bites in her dress pocket, Rey put on BeeBee's leash with ease and exited her suite with the zeal of exploration _thumping_ against her sternum.

Not quite sure where to go first, Rey let her feet carry her to the Conservatory and decided to lead BeeBee through the gardens.

The smells of the vanilla and banana and flowers heavy with pollen had BeeBee pulling at his lead in seconds, and, deciding this was as good a place as any aboard the ship for the fox to get his energy out, Rey loosed him from the leash and let him run and sniff about and climb the trees with the thicker bark and snap at butterflies and insects and eat some fallen, browning bananas until he was exhausted and content enough to allow the lead to be reattached.

Leading BeeBee from the humid conservatory, Rey decided to try for the control center next, while BeeBee was still exhausted enough to behave himself. Rey wasn't even sure if she would've been given clearance to enter the bridge, but to her surprise, the doors opened readily at the input of her bio-scan. Just in case, she scooped up the fox in her arms as she entered.

Sticking close to the back wall and trying to stay discreet, Rey observed the bridge's goings-on. Officers in uniform sat in the monitoring pit on the level below, glued to their scanners and devices, relaying positioning and radar data back to them. Higher-ranking officials walked the catwalks above, supervising and at times, asking for reports or coordinates or identification of any ship that entered their security radius.

It was like observing a sentient machine, where every shiny steel and iron cog had its place and its role.

While she knew the officers were merely just trying to keep her fiancé and herself – and the gentry that would be joining them in two weeks time for the Engagement Ball – safe, she'd be lying if she said she felt comfortable being in this miniaturized center of Imperial power.

After a few silent minutes, Rey decided she had seen enough and began to slink back along the wall, heading towards the door. Unfortunately, just as she was opening the door to slip back outside, Phasma walked in. Even knowing the woman under the chrome helmet, Rey jumped at the sight of her appearing unexpectedly in front of her.

Her intuition felt the wave of discomfort and apology that washed over her friend in the Ethereum, though her gaze was concealed behind her dark visor.

The Captain side-stepped her and saluted, standing at attention.

“My lady, on the bridge!” Phasma exclaimed, and the attention of everyone in the room snapped to her, the Officers standing out of respect. Rey's shoulders jumped up, almost reaching her ears as she slowly swiveled around to face the troops, just managing to remember to stand up straight, and not squeeze BeeBee so tightly.

“...My apologies...” she began, voice meeker and quieter than she had intended, clearing her throat and finding a firmer, more confident tone. “I just wanted to get a glimpse of the command center – I didn't mean to intrude. I'll...be on my way now. As you were,” Rey said, returning their respect with a nod, as walked from the room with her head held high, her posture only dissolving into one of extreme discomfort and embarrassment when the bridge was far out of sight.

“Stars, that was dreadful,” Rey groaned to BeeBee, setting him back on his feet to walk at her side. “I won't be going back there anytime soon, that's for sure.” Finding a door along the velvet-lined hallway that Rey had never seen before, she inspected behind it and found a set of utilitarian metal stairs that lead down to the lower levels.

More optimistic about this direction, Rey allowed her curiosity to take the lead again.

The lower corridors were sparser, free of decoration or fancy carpet – it was all clean sheet metal down here, with pipes and tubes crisscrossing the ceiling.

Finding a sign that posted directions on the wall, Rey learned she was quite close to the servants quarters. If she followed the right path of tunnels, she'd end up in the Officer's quarters – not her first choice – but if she went to the left...

Rey grinned.

“Why don't we go see what's cooking in the kitchen, BeeBee?” she said, strutting confidently down the hall, attempting to follow her nose on this one, even though, for the moment, she could only smell the humid warmth on the air.

She followed the metal-encased hall, sticking to her path and paying no mind to forks in the road. The only sound that accompanied her was the echo of the dull metal _thumps_ her shoes made, the little _clicks_ of BeeBee's claws, and the gentle hiss and whir of circulated oxygen and the ship's recycled water rushing through the pipes. Starting to detect the smell of some warm, home-cooked chicken broth, Rey turned her last corner and nearly ran into someone.

The tall, stocky man in the green jumpsuit and orange vest yelped in surprise, prompting BeeBee to bark and shriek in warning.

“BeeBee, hush! He just got surprised – ugh, here!” Rey said, silencing the petulant fox with a bite of cacti. Rey rose with huff, greeting the messy-haired, blonde stranger whose wide, brown eyes were partially concealed behind thick-framed glasses.

“I'm sorry about that – BeeBee can be really aggressive when it comes to strangers. Don't let us interrupt your work,” Rey said, taking note of the wrench the technician had in hand and the tool box at his feet “We're just passing through,” she said, side-stepping the man and managing to scooch around him.

“And just where do you think you're headed, ma'am?” said the man, his voice unexpectedly low in timbre and highly accusatory.

“Um...just to the kitchens...” Rey said, pointing at the hall's end, BeeBee sniffing curiously at the stranger's work-boots.

“Be my guest – if you want to asphyxiate on toxic fumes,” the technician dead-panned, crossing his arms stoically. It was only now that Rey noticed the cloud of smog gathered at the hall's end, swirling near the florescent lights.

“Is that what you're here fixing? A gas leak?” Rey asked, putting two and two together. The technician only threw up his eyebrows sarcastically.

“I'll just wait here then...” she murmured, shortening BeeBee's lead so that he wouldn't cause any trouble while the technician worked.

He muttered to himself all the while, as he shut off various valves at the juncture of pipes above their heads, unscrewing a pipe and drawing up a tube from a small, squat machine that latched onto the pipe with a powerful suctioned force. He turned on the device, and the vacuum took care of the cloud of gasses at the hall's end, clearing the air in seconds with the aid of the pipes. Shutting off the machine, the technician replaced the rusted piece of piping with a shiny new one, which he measured, bending and snapping it with his bare hands – the edges smoother than if they'd been laser-cut – into the perfect length with ease. He screwed it in place one-handed as he stood on the rungs of a service ladder, and stretched to reach the ceiling's middle.

Rey's eyes widened at the feat of raw, impossible strength needed to snap the pipe in two like it was nothing. The technician had to be Golem, for sure. No other Mystic could mold metal that easily, and they were an easier kind to identify, given Finn's boyfriend Poe was one as well.

Jumping down from his perch, the technician reached into his toolbox and pulled a gas mask from the top compartment, pulling it roughly over his rumpled blonde hair and large ears with one hand. Taking a small, hand-held detector from the toolbox in the other, he strode to the hallway's end purposefully, extending his arm in every direction so the detector could get an accurate reading.

He removed his mask and yanked open the hermetically-sealed doors to his right, the doors to the kitchen.

“All clear!” he called inside, exclamations of relief greeting Rey's ears even at a distance as the man returned to collect his tools and shove the vacuum back into a nearby maintenance closet.

Some of the kitchen staff began to emerge, turning the corner at the end of the hallway, trays and carts of food in hand. A pale, blonde woman wearing a uniform gray dress stepped out too. Rey was quick to recognize her as the servant who usually delivered her her meals when Phasma couldn't. Rey wracked her brain and recalled her name, relieved.

“Hi Daisy!” she called, approaching the woman. A smile spread across the blonde woman's face at the sight of her.

“My lady! What a surprise to see you down here!”

“It's my day off from lessons – I've been exploring the ship.” Rey said, by way of explanation, BeeBee trotting along with her.

“Can I get you something? A small snack before lunch, or something for your mischievous fox?” she asked, sweetly, BeeBee purring in greeting, recognizing the woman as a main source of food, and smart enough not to bite the hand that fed him.

“Hah! BeeBee's gotten more treats than he deserves as of late, and I don't really need anything. I just wanted to take a peek inside – but only if I won't get in the way of everyone's work. I never worked in the culinary arts, but I saw how busy the bakery could get around mid-day back home.”

The sarcastic snort of laughter down the hall distracted Rey, her attention snapping to the cynical technician, still gathering up his tools. Before Rey could issue a snappy retort, Daisy spoke up.

“Of course you can, just stay close to the walls until all the staff have departed with the mid-day meals.” She turned to address the technician. “And would you like anything, Matt, as a thank you from the staff? The whole kitchen would've been contaminated if you hadn't shown up when you did.”

The technician, apparently named Matt – only now did Rey see his name-tag as the fluorescents reflected off his badge – pursed his lips in thought. Quickly though, the pensive look melted into a mischievous grin.

“You know I could never resist your chocolate cake...” Daisy smiled and waved him over.

“Come on in.”

Rey followed suit, lifting BeeBee off the floor and gluing herself to the wall, along with Daisy and Matt, while the staff rushed about like a frantic flock of birds, toting trays and carts and tubs of food out the door, heading to deliver lunch to every part of the ship – from the troop's mess hall, to the staff room, to the elegant dining halls.

Once the chaos died down, Daisy breathed a sigh of relief and stepped away from the back wall, circling the prep counter and heading for a back room in the immaculate, white space of the gourmet kitchen.

“Tico – could I get a leftover slice of yesterday's chocolate dessert up here for Matt? Thank you!” Daisy called, yelling down the hall to where the refrigerators were.

Rey's eyes went wide in recognition of the name, as Daisy walked back to them, smiling cordially. Thinking on her feet, Rey changed her mind.

“Actually, Daisy, would you mind terribly if you made that two slices? I'd like to try some myself.” Daisy's eyebrows shot up in earnest.

“Oh sure, no problem Lady Rey! _Make that two, Tico!_ ” she yelled back over her shoulder.

While she waited patiently, Rey wandered across the white tiles, admiring the pristine metallic pots and pans hanging overhead on hooks, circling the different prep stations, cutlery and tools waiting in their containers to be expertly put to use, with wide-eyed reverence.

“What do you think, Lady Rey?” Daisy asked, expectant and hopeful. Rey could only smile – though inwardly, Daisy's eager desire for praise made Rey's heart squeeze painfully.

“I'm just amazed. The discipline and skill needed make everyone's meals every day, three times a day – I've never had food like what you've prepared before.”

Matt's laugh was loud, obnoxious, and abrasive, catching Rey completely off-guard.

“Asteroid's lead, that's got to be the worst lie I've ever heard!” he said, _thumping_ the counter in the throws of laughter.

Rey stiffened her spine, staring down the disrespectful man in earnest now.

“I was being serious!” Rey exclaimed.

“Oh, please!!” Matt roared with laughter “You aristocrats are all the same – simpering with your ass-kissing and false praise until a staff-member screws up once. Then its a transfer to a lower-ranking job on another ship, or an inconspicuous 'disappearance' coupled with an unfortunate airlock accident,” he said, glaring, his voice turning threatening and dark.

“ _Matt – don't say that to her!_ ” Daisy hissed, as a servant emerged from the shadowy hallway, wearing the pale blue dress uniform of a culinary assistant, holding two slices of cake on separate plates, which she handed off to Daisy.

Rey's jaw outright dropped at the sight of this other 'Tico.' Her hair may have been largely tucked into a light blue work bandanna to match her uniform, but it was clear from the strands that peaked out of it that her hair was black. Her features were soft and rounded, just like the facial features of her Social Etiquette tutor. Far from standing at attention, this Tico stood with her hands held demurely in front of her, eyes down-cast. However, where Madame Tico was a Huitzi, this food prep worker, based on her purple and blue, nebulous skin that glinted and sparkled like stars, was clearly a Nyx, a night fae. Her opalescent, translucent wings were likely tucked tight inside her shirt to prevent them getting in the way on the job, judging by the slight bump on her back.

A hiss of cold air, and Rey's attention snapped back to Daisy, whose eyes now glowed white, as she dripped chocolate sauce and cut curls of chocolate from a bar of semisweet, sprinkling both onto the slices of cake, which quickly hardened and froze with a wave of her hand, the air crystallizing at the Frost Fae's command.

Daisy, eyes returning to their cool blue, handed Matt his plate of cake, and Rey set down BeeBee, the fox settling down, unsure, as the servant approached with hers.

The moment of surprise at her discovery of a second Tico had taken any anger out of Rey that she would've used to argue with Matt. Instead, when she retorted, it was calmly, assertively.

“Whether you believe it or not, Matt, I'm not actually an aristocrat. I'm Rey Somnus of Jakku, and I'm a Dream Duster,” said Rey, taking bites out of her cake without really tasting it.

Matt snorted, three-fourths of his cake already gone.

“Oh really? Then tell me, your highness, what are you doing on _The Desiderata_?” he said, eyes glinting with his victory smirk.

“I'm his Lordship's fiancé,” Rey said, entirely matter-of-fact, not a hint of pride coloring her tone.

Matt's eyes went wide and his plate slipped from his fingers, shattering on the floor. Daisy buried her face in her hands.

“ _Matt!_ ” shrieked the until-now-silent-Tico, rushing to gather a broom and dust pan to clean up the mess.

Stars, even her voice sounded similar.

“ _Shit_ , I'm so sorry, Paige, it was an accident!!” Matt exclaimed, crouching down to help her. They disappeared below the counter for a moment.

“ _MATT, DON'T EAT THE CAKE OFF THE FLOOR!_ ” Paige screamed, Matt popping up, licking his fingers clean of any traces of chocolate.

“C'mon on, Paige, you keep these floors so spotless you could eat off of them, no problem” the Golem retorted, voice muffled by the last bite of cake. Swallowing, he suddenly whirled to face Rey.

“Seriously? _You're_ her?” he asked, eyes wide.

Rey nodded, taking another bite of cake and finding that she could actually taste the chocolate now.

Matt stared, completely confounded, his eyebrows dancing in confusion.

“Shit. Really?” Rey polished off her slice of cake, feeling a bit better.

“Yes, really. I'm her,” she said, with a frank shrug.

“ _There's a reason I told you not to say anything,_ ” Daisy griped from behind her hands, face flushed with shame where her fingers didn't cover.

Matt sputtered his lips.

“I thought the journalists had really lost it when they claimed the Man of Ashes had picked a Duster as his wife but – I guess in retrospect it only makes sense...” he said, smiling cheekily in Daisy's direction. Daisy dropped her hands, shooting daggers at the technician.

“Shut it, Matt, you've made the 'Man of Ashes had to pick a dust-bunny' joke already. It wasn't funny the first time.”

Rey, however, hadn't made that connection herself yet, and let out a tiny huff of a laugh.

“You know, I hadn't actually thought of that before. It is pretty ironic,” she said, smiling, prompting Matt to shed a crooked one too, his eyebrows still turned up in disbelief. Daisy spun to face her.

“Please, my lady, _do not_ encourage him,” she griped through her grin, clearly snarling underneath her faux smile.

“Really, Daisy, it's fine. It was a harmless jab,” Rey said, letting the whole thing go without much fuss. Matt bunched his lips to one side at her words.

“Well, I hope you won't hold my preemptive judgment against you. We're a little too used to dealing with rich, privileged Mystics who've lived their lives with asteroids up their asses...” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, awkwardly.

Rey set down her plate and walked over to him.

“Already forgotten. Thanks for not letting me walk into a cloud of toxic gas – even if you warned me in the rudest way possible,” she said, smiling, and offering him a conciliatory handshake. Matt shed a guilty grin, but accepted her hand anyway.

“Thanks, and you're welcome,” he said, flashing her another crooked smile before dropping her hand. “I'd best get back to it – a radar technician's work is never done,” he said over his shoulder, tossing Daisy a little salute.

“Yes – before Hux catches you slacking again,” Daisy said, with a knowing smirk.

“Oh, you know it, sweetheart,” said Matt, slipping through the kitchen doors, but not before giving Daisy a sexy wink.

Rey could only laugh in surprise and glance Daisy's way for an explanation. Daisy opened and closed her mouth, unable to speak.

“She always falls for the ones that are nothing but trouble,” Paige said, shaking her head in dismay as she emptied the pieces of Matt's plate into the industrial-sized trash can.

“ _Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh, I know,_ ” Daisy said, face flushing crimson, as she laughed through her embarrassment.

“It is strange,” Rey said, raising her hand above her head and recalling the distance to the top of Matt's head “He's almost the exact same height as my fiancé.”

“He is a hulking redwood of a man...” Daisy murmured, clearly smitten, her cheeks glowing pink. In spite of her stupor, her eyes suddenly widened “Matt, I mean, I would never speak of his Lordship that way!” she clarified, laughing with wild panic in her eyes.

Rey chuckled, but it came out nervous too as she glanced at the Nyx sweeping up plate pieces.

Biting her lip, Rey gathered her courage before she decided to settle the little mystery she'd stumbled upon, definitively.

“Um, Paige Tico?” she asked.

The kitchen-hand started at being addressed by her full name and turned to face her.

“Yes, my lady?”

“This...might come across as a strange question, but...do you have a sister?” The Nyx frowned at her, dark skin sparkling to echo her confusion.

“How did you guess? I know Dusters have strong intuitions, but they're no Telepaths.” Before Rey could explain, Daisy cut in.

“Yes, Paige does have a sister,” she said, smiling stiffly.

“My twin, Rose, we look quite similar-” Paige elaborated.

“But, you haven't seen her in many, many years, right?” Daisy asked. Paige nodded soberly, eyes down-cast.

“We were separated at age twelve when she went to the Imperial Academy. I'm told she's now a Commander in the Imperial Navy, but I have no idea on what ship, or where she's based,” Paige said, glittering stardust eyes speaking of many years of solitude and sorrow.

“Yes, it's quite a sad story. Now, I'm sure Lady Rey has lots to do today and really should get going – thank you for stopping by!” said Daisy, ushering and practically shoving Rey and BeeBee out of the kitchen doors.

Before Daisy could go back inside, Rey spoke and stopped her.

“Why?” she hissed, low, straightening every inch of her spine, using her height over Daisy to her advantage.

“Because I'm under orders to stay silent, my lady. The Imperial Navy is not fond of family connections among troops, to speak nothing of romantic connections!” Daisy exclaimed fearfully, eyes wide and glancing about.

“But Paige isn't even an Officer!”

“Still – because of Rose Tico's high-rank, I'm forbidden from saying anything...At least, until she is honorably discharged from service and retires in a few months.”

Rey seethed, nails digging into her palms.

“That's just cruel, having twin sisters on a ship together and keeping either from knowing the other one is there – I won't stand for it!” Daisy sighed, her eyebrows turned up in sympathy.

“By all means, do what you can for them, but I have a sinking feeling his Lordship won't exactly jump at the chance to bring them together,” said the Frost Fae, turning and heading back into the kitchen.

“Maybe not, but you don't know my fiancé like I do,” said Rey to herself, marching away with a purpose, BeeBee in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to draw some illustrations to accompany my story! :D   
> More will follow as the story progresses. 
> 
> You can find them here if you're interested: https://twitter.com/The28thAurora


	14. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey goes looking for Kylo and runs into trouble along the way. Eventually, she does have a heart-to-heart with his Lordship.

If anyone knew where Kylo was so she could talk to him about Paige and Rose, it was Phasma. Though Rey had most recently seen the Captain on the bridge, that had already been hours ago, and now she'd mostly likely find the Captain in her lodging, or walking among the staff quarters on her way into or out of the Officer's mess hall. Rey marched determinedly in that direction.

Entering the officer's quarters on the lower deck, Rey was startled by the sudden shift from gray sheet metal walls and floors to glossy, blinding, Imperial-white surfaces. As far as she could tell, the change was most likely for that sole, superficial purpose – keeping up flawless appearances.

She rolled her eyes at the thought and pressed on.

Each door she passed was now labeled with an officer's number, and their last name and rank, aiding her greatly in her search. She sped past all the Privates and Cadets and Lieutenants, heading for the rooms of the more highly ranked.

Rey turned a corner, spotting room **HJ-1253, Phasma, Captain** , and smartly rapped the door, drumming her fingers on her thigh nervously as she waited.

She sensed trouble coming before she saw it. BeeBee started growling loudly, seemingly at nothing.

General Hux turned the corner and BeeBee lunged at the Pyrite, teeth bared, making Hux flinch away in fear. Rey, however, yanked on her fox' lead and swiftly gathered him up in her arms, wrestling her expression into her best indignant glare to greet him with.

“Lady Rey, fancy running into you, here,” Hux simpered in false courtesy.

“Likewise, General,” Rey griped, restraining BeeBee from leaping from her arms, holding him by the nape of his neck.

“What brings you down here to the crew quarters anyhow? Have you misplaced one of your tutors? Or your fiancé perhaps?” Hux chuckled, stepping a bit too close to Rey. BeeBee snapped at him, very nearly ripping one of the shiny buttons off his pressed, dark gray uniform.

“And the nerve of you to bring that _thing_ with you...” Hux growled indignantly, putting distance between himself and the beige colored fox again, though BeeBee's lips were still curled in warning.

“BeeBee's been trapped in my suite all week – his Lordship gave me express permission to take him for a walk,” Rey countered.

Despite speaking nothing but the frank truth, without even a snide under-handed insult, Hux' eyes still flared like heated coals.

“You think you can just take whatever suits your fancy don't you?” Hux growled lowly, his voice quiet and deadly “All you need to do is snap your fingers and his Lordship will make it happen.”

“It's not like that-” Rey murmured, taken aback, but Hux only advanced further, forcing Rey to back up against the wall.

“Well, I don't know what twisted Mystic spell you've put my superior under, but when I find out how you've wrapped him around your little finger and free him, I'll have that vile creature slaughtered,” Hux snapped, eyes turning the color of boiling magma.

“And you'd best hope you're not around when his Lordship comes to his senses, because I'll be sure to suggest he put you in your place – _as only husbands can do to their wives_ -”

Rey was a millisecond away from slapping Hux across the face – anything to keep herself from being boxed in by the horrid creature – when the door to Phasma's quarters flew open and the Captain stepped out.

“General Hux,” Phasma greeted mildly, and Hux sprang away from her, eyes quick to fade back to their soul-less blue.

“Captain,” Hux nodded, hands clasped behind his back.

“Any new communications?” she asked. Hux flushed and stammered.

“Well, I – no, but-”

“Any orders from Canady?”

“No, Captain-”

“Or Peavey, perhaps?” Hux swallowed roughly, clearly giving the impression that he wanted to do nothing more than stop biting his tongue.

“Negative, Captain.”

“Then I suggest you be on your way, General, so that I may attend to my lady's needs _in peace_ ,” Phasma said, with the upmost cordiality, even as her tone deepened to a low and threatening timbre.

Hux looked as if he wished he could melt between the floor panels and vanish.

“Quite right, Captain. I'll be on my way,” Hux said, maintaining an air of dignity by turning smartly on his heels and walking swiftly away. Phasma was quick to grab Rey by the arm and pull her into her quarters.

“Are you alright, my lady?! Did he hurt you?!” Phasma said, blue eyes flashing at her in concern as her horned helmet fell away.

“No, Phasma, I'm fine. Shaken, but fine,” Rey said, sitting down on the Captain's utilitarian desk chair and breathing deeply. Phasma snarled, animalistic and frothy.

“That is the _last straw_. I'm sending in the recommendation for his dismissal. Being a right asshole is one thing, but nearly shooting BeeBee and threatening you like that – what did he say to you anyway?!” Rey rolled her eyes.

“Some baseless suspicion about me having warped Kylo's mind with a 'magick spell.' That, and, once his Lordship's mind was freed, recommending Kylo 'punish me as only husband's can punish their wives,' whatever in the Thirteen Hells that means...” Rey said, throwing up her hands in exasperation, BeeBee whimpering a bit at being jostled in her lap.

Phasma, however, did not appear as clueless about Rey as to the meaning of Hux' threat.

“Lady Rey...pardon my crassness, but how much do you know about...procreation?” Rey's eyebrows shot up at the sight of Phasma's pale-blonde, severely pinched brows.

“The basics, I suppose, Phasma. I never dated anyone back home, so Finn never got around to giving me a more in-depth talk about how love-making could be in practice.”

Phasma sighed, her frown deepening.

“What Hux was suggesting was the idea that Kylo punish you by...treating you as his property. Forcing himself on you, because traditionally, a gentlemen of the Court could get away with such despicable behavior, when the lady he's raping is his wife.”

Rey's eyes widened with fear.

“Nine Heavens, that's horrible...” she breathed.

“Not that I seriously think his Lordship would do that!! It's not in his nature,” Phasma countered “It was likely an empty threat on Hux' part.”

Then the Dragoon's face flushed with fury. “But I guarantee you, he phrased it that way because he hasn't got the balls to threaten to rape you himself, or the title to get away with the crime.” Phasma barked out a victory laugh, but it was a hollow sound.

“I'd like to see the Emperor try to keep him on after this. But now, to the matter at hand – why did you come to see me, my lady?” she said, reverting to her business-like tone

“I was hoping you could tell me where I might find his Lordship. I need to discuss an important matter with him.”

Phasma flashed a conspiratorial smile at her and drew her helmet back over her face.

“Follow me, my lady – I'll take you to him.”

With Phasma as her escort, Rey was lead out of the crew quarters, down two long halls of lodgings, past the door to the packed, loud mess hall, and along a row of utilitarian, marked escape pods, which Rey took careful note of, just in case. Finally, they stopped at the the nearest service elevator.

“His Lordship will likely be on the top floor, in his audience chambers,” the Captain said, once the elevator arrived with a _ping_ and the spotless steal doors parted for Rey, revealing the velvet-lined capsule within. “A bio-scan is required to access the top floor,” Phasma said, pointing to the buttons on the inside panel, and the thumbprint scanner below them all “but given that you are his betrothed, I trust-”

Rey scanned her fingerprint and tapped the top button. It lit up with a cheerful chime.

“Yes, he did give you the permissions. Best of luck, my lady,” said Phasma, stepping back from the doors and allowing them to shut.

“Thank you, Captain. For everything,” Rey said, hoping her sincerity was clear to her friend, in spite of the barriers of social etiquette. Given the subtle nod Rey saw just as the doors shut, she was sure the Dragoon understood her meaning.

Letting out a lengthy sigh, Rey let BeeBee scour the elevator during their quiet journey to the top of the ship, while she leaned against the back wall and let the solar fluorescents warmth on the underside of her eyelids give her back a sliver of sanity.

It was only as she arrived at the top floor that she realized her heartbeat had accelerated at the thought of speaking to Kylo alone, independent of the dire necessity of reporting one – make that two – serious injustices.

She tried to beat her fluttering pulse back with the notion that she wouldn't be here to talk to him at all today, if not for the Tico twins and Hux.

Yet still...she somehow found herself feeling glad for the excuse...

Her breath caught nervously as the elevator doors parted with a _ping_ , revealing what could only have been described as a throne room beyond – though it was far more modest than the Emperor's had been.

The obsidian floors and domed ceiling were much the same, but there was no spectacular view of the galaxy above, here – only a dark, metallic ceiling, dotted with daylight fluorescents. A roll of red velvet carpet extended from the lift to the black, gleaming stone throne at its center, but it was merely a fancy, carved chair with a high-back, not a sculptural behemoth like Snoke's.

And judging by the thin smatterings of dust specks on the velvet seat and armrests, it was not often used.

Nor was it occupied at the present moment.

Rey began to search about the room, perplexed, for any other doors or hallways, but beyond the elevator, there appeared to be no exit from the circular room.

Then BeeBee barked, scratching at the back wall behind the throne, drawing Rey over.

“What did you find, BeeBee?” Rey asked, examining the wall, only to find the faint outline of a hidden door.

“Good eye, boy,” she said, finding the latch for the hand-hold and pushing the hefty, sliding stone door aside.

Taking in the view beyond, Rey's breath spontaneously left her body.

The round room, laden with plush poufs and richly embroidered carpets, had a massive, floor to ceiling window that became a semi-circular dome above Rey's head, affording a stunning view of the galaxy beyond. But more than the glittering stars and glowing, technicolor planets, several dozen glinting and gleaming lenses on golden armatures in front of the window, akin to those of a telescope, refracted and reflected the light of the stars beyond _The Desiderata_ 's windows to fill the room with golden, warm sunlight.

The brilliant light was so enveloping and wondrous that Rey was hit over the head with acute home-sickness. She could have been standing on the roof of her and Finn's apartment on Jakku at sunrise, so warm and direct was the shimmering sunlight.

Rey wandered forward in a daze, staring at the golden glow, her purpose and BeeBee's lead forgotten.

She clasped her hands before her and thought through her Duster's prayer, thinking bitter-sweetly of home...

“Hello, my lady,” greeted a low voice, and Rey shrieked, whipping towards the sound. Kylo was quick to rise to his feet, placating hands held in front of him.

“I'm so sorry, my lady, I didn't mean to frighten you!!” Rey caught her breath, hand to her chest, her thundering heartbeat gradually slowing as she realized there was no threat.

“No, no, it's alright! My apologies, I completely forgot myself,” Rey said, laughing at herself slightly as BeeBee sniffed about her fiancé's ankles. He chuckled at the inquisitive fox, bending down to greet him.

“Well hello, little one. Have you enjoyed your walk today?” he said, modulated voice warm and affectionate as he scratched behind BeeBee's ears.

“He has,” Rey said, smiling at the sight “But I'm afraid Hux was not so happy to see him...” Ash all but exploded from the Inferi as he rushed to her side, cloaking him in a furious cloud.

“What did he say to you – what did he do?!” Kylo exclaimed. Rey flushed automatically at the thought of what the disgusting General had implied in his threat. Kylo bent forward, slowly, and comfortingly rested his gloved hands on her arms, near her shoulders, the pressure his fingers exerted gentle, clearly willing to draw away at a moment's notice.

“Did he threaten you, my lady?” her fiancé said, voice raw with horror and dripping with concern.

“Yes,” Rey scowled, meeting his eyes and conveying to him all her anger and disgust with the General “Indirectly, and in a cowardly manner, but yes.” Kylo released her with a curt nod.

“I shall recommend he is discharged promptly. I will not stand for such behavior towards you.” Bile building at the thought of Hux taking advantage of her, Rey snarled and crossed her arms with a frustrated growl.

“How did he come to be a part of your ranks in the first place?” Kylo's staccato laugh was dull and sarcastic.

“His late father Brendol Hux was quite the exemplary General, and he recommended Armitage just before he retired. The Emperor and Hux Senior had a strong working relationship – or so I'm told. But fear not, I'll find some way to do away with him,” Kylo affirmed, his voice adamant.

Rey smiled lightly.

“No more dance lessons with him, then?” she said, her lips quirking up. Kylo chuckled, his eyes laughing too when they met hers.

“No more dance lessons. I'll find someone – anyone more suitable to teach you, my lady. That I promise you.”

That mattered settled, Rey glanced about the room, still enchanted and curious.

“What is this place?” she asked, wandering forward and examining one of the lenses precision armatures more closely, its delicate tines and hinges perfectly cut to fit together securely without need of screws or bolts.

“This is _The Desiderata_ 's Solarium,” Kylo answered, with a hint of pride in his voice. “It was built to allow the nobility aboard to experience single-star-system sunlight as if they were on-planet, even while traveling through the cold, dark depths of space. With the development of daylight-imitating fluorescents, it has become a bit antiquated and obsolete but...”

“I think it's wonderful,” Rey breathed “Fluorescents don't warm your whole body like this...”

“No, they don't...” Kylo murmured, as if he was awe-struck himself. “Erm, but, why did you venture up here, my lady? Curiosity?”

A high, whistling snore issued from behind them, prompting them to turn and find BeeBee curled up and asleep on one of the luxurious poufs.

“To find a good napping spot for BeeBee?” Kylo teased, chuckling. She smiled.

“No, Kylo. I came looking for you, actually. There's something that needs to be brought to your attention,” Rey said, solidifying her tone to impress on her fiancé the severity of the situation, prompting him to frown beyond the green visor and dark mask.

“Madame, er, Commander Tico has a twin sister, Paige Tico, who's also working aboard the ship, in the kitchens,” Kylo raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Unusual for family members to be assigned to the same Imperial ship, but not impossible,” he noted.

“Yes, but, the thing is, one of the kitchen staff told me they are under orders not to let either sister know the other is aboard – at least, until the Commander is relieved of duty and retires.”

Kylo's brow settled into a deep frown.

“They're family, and they haven't seen each other in _years_ , and now that they're this close, they are forbidden from seeing each other. Please, is there any change that can be made in this policy, even a slight one?” Rey pleaded.

The Emperor's Hand began pacing about the soft carpets, the harshness of the situation settling grimly about him, like a dark cloud.

“I was not aware that there was a procedure like this aboard my ship,” he murmured, darkly.

“You weren't?” Rey said surprised.

“There are seven-thousand staff aboard, five-thousand troops, and two-hundred officers – it is impossible for me to control and know everything that goes on. As such, I am forced to delegate. Whomever ordered this silence is likely someone I was wrong to place my confidence in...” Kylo said, weary, but resolved.

He turned and met her eyes.

“The Tico sisters shall be informed of each other's presence immediately. I will inform the Monitors that communications between them are to be expected, and of course, they will be allowed to visit one another when they are both off-duty,” Kylo declared, his tone firm, and his decision in the Ethereum even more final.

Rey breathed out a happy sigh, relieved that it had been so simple to right this wrong.

“Thank you, Kylo. I'm sure the Ticos will be over-joyed.”

“And I imagine your etiquette lessons with the Commander will become a bit more palatable,” Kylo said, eyes glittering with laughter.

“My lord, you know that was not my aim!” Rey said, laughing, only prompting her fiancé to join in.

“I know, my lady...but you have to admit, it is an added benefit.”

Rey smirked his way, delighted and surprised by his slowly blossoming sense of humor, sincere vulnerability, and kind heart.

Even with the mask still firmly in place, she was starting to feel as if she was beginning to know the man underneath it.

Glancing about the room in thought, Rey selected a soft rug she liked the sight of, wandering over to it and sitting down.

“And what were you doing here, by yourself, Kylo – if you don't mind me asking?” she asked, amicably, patting the spot on the carpet next her, inviting him to sit too, though her neck heated at the thought of such proximity.

He tilted his head, considering, then swept over to her, sitting down and settling on his haunches, his hands on his knees, his cloak pooling around him.

“Meditating, my lady,” he responded, softly. She smiled in familiarity.

“I didn't know Inferi meditated as well. My parent's taught me to practice meditation. That's usually how I spend-”

“the Sacred Hour,” Kylo finished for her, catching her off-guard, her eyes widening. He laughed, a little nervously.

“Forgive me, my lady – it is quite easy for me to detect your state of mind in your chambers during that hour. My intuition is too peaked during that time. I couldn't tune out your feelings if I tried – and believe me, I have, out of respect for your privacy.”

“I see...” Rey murmured, wondering what else her fiance knew about her that he was keeping to himself, but not terribly bothered by his admission. “Were you meditating on anything in particular?”

Kylo's gaze seemed to soften, drops of grief leaking into the Ethereum.

“...Bits and pieces from my childhood...” he said, voice just above a whisper. Rey nodded in understanding. Kylo seemed to hesitate, clenching and unclenching his fists nervously.

Sensing his indecision, Rey leaned over and laid a hand atop his.

“You don't have to tell me if you don't want-” Rey murmured, gently.

“I know,” he said, cutting her off, equally quiet.

He turned his hand underneath hers and wrapped his leather-clad fingers around her own, grasping her softly, sending a subtle, tingling feeling up her arm again. He took in a shuddering breath.

“...But I would like to,” Kylo said, and Rey shed a sad, but encouraging smile, making it easier for him to continue.

“Between the hours of loneliness and the grueling time spent trying to fulfill everyone's expectations, there were a few, rare, happy moments...”

“Like?” Rey said, her smile growing, as she grew accustomed to the prickling sensation in her skin, finding it to not be so unpleasant.

Kylo wrestled with answering, but after taking a deep breath, he began to speak.

“When I was still a young boy, there were times when my father and my uncle would take me on ventures throughout the galaxy...”

“Yes, your father the pilot,” Rey said, gently helping him along. Ben scoffed.

“Smuggler, actually. I know for certain he was infatuated with two things in this life – his war-torn space ship, and getting himself in trouble. He would take up all sort of odd jobs around the galaxy, whether he needed to for the money or not. He refused to stay in one spot for long,” Kylo said, bitterness thickly coating his voice. He cleared his throat, redirecting from the uncomfortable truth.

“But I'm straying from my point...Once, I snuck aboard his ship when he and my uncle were leaving in the early morning for the Outer Rim. They weren't happy to find me on-board, but by the time they noticed, it was too late to turn back. They tied me to a radiator onboard to ensure I stayed put while they took care of their job in peace on the rocky planet's surface. Even back then, my Mystic powers were beginning to show their prowess, so it wasn't long before I loosened my bonds with the aid of the shadows and went after them.”

“Ever the rule-breaker,” Rey interjected, making him chuckle before pressing on.

“Following their tracks, I found a rust bucket of a ship, and went inside. Within were hundreds of hanging, hexahedral cages filled with the most...beautiful, glowing, blue crystal butterflies,” he murmured, voice filled with quiet, reverent wonder at the memory.

“I'd only read about them in books, and they were a breath-taking sight to behold. They'd been captured by Beetle Bounty-Hunters, you see, hoping to make a nice profit off of the flaking crystal specks that the butterflies naturally shed as they flew. My father and uncle had been hoping to get some crystals themselves – and the Beetles weren't too keen on sharing the wealth.

“I found the creatures too lovely and precious to be trapped in cages, so I began unlatching them and setting them free when one of the Beetles came back to their ship and spotted me. I began to run and unlock all the cages as I sprinted to the other end of the ship, the Beetle firing at me with his heated-plasma blaster. A misfire unlocked the rear hatch, allowing the creatures to escape. Because I showed the creatures mercy and freed them, a swarm returned the favor, picking me up and carrying me to safety, as if I weighed nothing to the little insects. I can still remember the way my heart raced as we took flight,” Kylo said, a bit of child-like joy in the soft laugh he gave. The sound made Rey's heart glow, and she found she couldn't stop smiling.

“The Beetle stole after me in a transport, and I was quickly back in the thick of things, dodging plasma blasts aboard my swarm. Fortunately, the little ones lead me to stack of more cages, in which my father and uncle were also contained. I released them and together we stole one of the Beetle's shuttles, making a break back to the Beetle's ship, ducking and swerving around plasma blasts as we flew.

“Back on the junk-trading vessel, I set the last few butterflies free, but before my father could close the hatch doors behind us, the Beetles caught up and forced them open. An all-out battle ensued, with my father trying to keep me from getting fried by plasma hotter than I could withstand at that age. Suddenly, the whole ship tilted – my uncle had stolen up to the stern and taken control of it! My father launching his retractable climbing hook up into the rafters and taking hold of me was the only thing that prevented us from tumbling out the open airlock with the Beetles, crystals, and cages.

“Unfortunately, the head Beetle was no so keen to go down without a fight, forcing my father into a blaster stand-off, but the plasma blasts wouldn't penetrate the armor of the Beetle's multi-legged mech. However, the Beetles had stowed away a stash of crystal butterfly honey I recognized from my books – it's the creatures one source of sustenance. I took a gamble and threw the container of honey at the Beetle. It burst, and the butterflies were immediately drawn to the mech in a frenzy, latching on and carrying the stubborn Beetle from the ship and far away.

“My father and uncle didn't get the outrageous profits they were hoping for that day, as most of the crystals were lost out of the Beetle ship's rear hatch, but I helped them out of tight spot, and kept my word about keeping the grand adventure I'd had a secret from my mother, so...” Kylo let out small chuckle and sighed.

“It was the one time I could acutely recall my father being genuinely proud of me...”

Rey smiled sadly, giving her fiance's hand a squeeze.

He started, turning towards her, as if he'd forgotten she was there partway through his reverie.

“I know he wasn't around very much to show you, but I'm sure your father was proud of you more than once,” Rey said, cautiously, hoping she wasn't going too far too fast. Kylo let out an irritable sigh.

“In the end, it mattered not. My Mystic powers developed in ways he did not and _could_ not understand, and he left,” he said, cross, but hardly enraged.

Rey took her courage in both hands, putting aside her hesitance for the moment, and let her arms surround her fiancé's shoulders, one hand settling just over his warmth-radiating heart.

“I know you only showed me moments from your life, Kylo, but from what I saw, your father did _not_ need time and distance to think and clear his head because of _you_. He and your mother were going through a difficult time, and he seemed very unhappy with the 'consortship' he mentioned.”

His muscles wound tightly under her touch again, but only for a moment. Just as quickly his shoulders drooped and he relaxed into her embrace, even reaching up to hold the hand that had come to rest over his collarbone.

“You're probably right...” Kylo murmured, throwing up his eyebrows in an indifferent sort of way. “When they were happy, they didn't stay that way for long. Things were...never easy between my parents,” he said, thumb tracing idle patterns on the back of her hand. Surprising even herself, Rey managed another smile.

“Still, touring the galaxy as a child, going on grand, dangerous adventures, seeing crystal butterflies – what I wouldn't have given to experience something like that growing up...”

She was unprepared for Kylo to turn and meet her eyes, gazing into them in such earnest.

“That was why I suggested traveling, my lady...” He took in a quick, nervous breath. “I'd...I'd gift you every star and system in the galaxy and lay them at your feet if I could...” he said, voice full of adoration.

Rey's face burned, and she gently withdrew her arms from around her fiancé's broad shoulders.

“I think I'll settle for flying to most systems, Kylo,” she said, terribly flustered. Kylo let out a nervous, throat-clearing sound.

“I'm sorry, my lady, I can see I've made you uncomfortable. I won't speak to you that way again-”

“No!! Well...yes, but no...that was really sweet of you to say...” Rey said, her _thumping_ heart not wanting to discourage her fiancé from saying further endearments as his gaze rose to hers, hope gleaming in his dark coals.

Nine Heavens, she was getting deeper into the thick of things with each passing day, wasn't she? What was she thinking, offering her heart up to this man?!

But it wasn't really a matter of thinking. It was feeling. With her intuition, with her heart, she was finding the kindness and worth in the Man of Ashes – a once-impossible feat, now fact before her eyes. And how could her eyes not look fondly upon what she was beginning to see?

Her pulse rocketing off into oblivion, Rey decided to distract herself from her actualization by blurting out a question.

“You had never mentioned an uncle before, and I don't recall seeing any other people in your memories besides your mother and father...?” she half-asked, half-stated.

“Oh – um, I don't have terribly vivid memories of my uncle, I was still quite young – well, technically, he wasn't my uncle by blood. He was my father's best friend, a Grimalkin,” Kylo explained, a little confused by the question, but responding cordially all the same.

“Really?! The fae who can morph into cats? But I thought they had all been hunted down and killed in an act of genocide before the Great War?”

“Ha!! You haven't met my uncle Chewie – tough, scruffy, old Mystic! I imagine he's still attached to my father's hip, if the Ethereum's Gods haven't decided to turn natural law on its head.” Her fiancé's usual cynical humor drew a chuckle from her, making Kylo's eyes crinkle with a smile.

Still, Chewie...the name was an odd-sounding one and struck a familiar chord in Rey's mind, though she couldn't pin down why...

But then Rey sensed the mischievous, emboldened suggestion in the Ethereum before Kylo posed it to her, and her thought was forgotten.

“You know, if you're keen on seeing crystal butterflies, there's an easy way to accomplish that, if you're willing?” the Inferi said, removing his gloves and extending his hands to her by way of explanation. Rey pursed her lips in thought, but curiosity was quick to morph it into a smile as she turned to face her fiancé, sitting on her haunches too, and slipping her hands into his grasp.

The warm, tingly sensation was quick to rush up her spine as he held her hands tight, but she did her best to ignore it for the sake of focus and managed to slip into a meditative state.

“You're going to want to open your eyes for this one, my lady. This is one memory that needs to be seen with your own eyes,” the Inferi gently suggested once he'd bridged their minds. Though his statement confused her, Rey did as he asked.

In a moment, she was positively laughing with delight.

All around them, circling above their heads, where translucent magickal projections of Kylo's memories of the crystal butterflies. Their wings glittered like cut gemstones, perfectly designed to catch the light flooding into the Solarium and scatter it in a thousand rainbows all about them, even as the aqua glow encompassed them too. They floated and fluttered on the air with the slightest effort and the greatest of ease, their crystal flakes swiftly drifting to the carpeted floor and vanishing as the illusion of them did not linger. Delicate though their tiny bodies were, they exuded a sense of deep magick and powerful strength of a unique sort that made Rey's magicks radiant with joy.

“Stars, I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful...” she gasped, glancing at her fiancé again, plainly see the visual manifestation of his powers as their minds were still connected, his appearance swirling like marbled epoxy with his darker magicks, flares and bursts of his warmer colors appearing in the watercolor mixture too.

“I couldn't agree more, my lady. I've seen a great deal of the galaxy, but only _Crystallus plexippus_ can instill such wonder,” Kylo said, his awe-struck tone echoing hers.

“ _Crystallus plexippus_?” Rey inquired.

“It's the scientific name for these butterflies, my lady,” he clarified, glancing about, his dark eyes catching the beautiful light.

“ _The Plexip_...” Rey murmured in realization.

“I'm sorry, my lady?” said Kylo, leaning closer to better hear her.

“You named your personal transport _The Plexip_ , after these very creatures...” Kylo's smile touched his eyes.

“Yes, my lady, the very same.”

He invited her to meditate with him sitting just as they were, once he untethered her minds. Though Rey shied away at the thought at first, she pushed herself to be brave and stayed.

Focusing on her breathing and matching her respiration with his, Rey drifted slowly into a state of blissful bodily awareness and absolute calm. Even with her fiancé's hands holding hers, she felt utterly at peace for several long, slow minutes.

She gradually stirred, rising from the pool of calm glacially slow, and when she stood to wake BeeBee and bid her fiancé goodbye a few minutes later, Rey could unironically, irrevocably, say she was not the same person she had been when she entered the room.

Neither, could she say her full, warm heart was displeased with the change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags updated to reflect reveal of my cameo character. ;) Show of hands, who guessed it would be Matt?
> 
> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	15. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gains a new dance partner. Commander Tico reveals a crack in her armor.   
> Rey tells Kylo a childhood tale about getting into trouble with Finn...and ponders what exactly her connection with the Emperor's Hand is, and could become.

“So, Captain,” Rey began, on Monday morning after a hasty breakfast and throwing on a velvet, burgundy dress “Pray-tell, who can I expect to be my new dance instructor in place of Hux?” she said, brightly. Phasma gave her a look at Rey could only describe as suspicious.

A difficult thing to convey through a dark visor and silver helmet that hid all her facial expressions, but somehow, Phasma excelled at it.

She'd been receiving similar looks all of yesterday as Phasma – at Kylo's request after the trouble with Hux – escorted her about the ship in her wandering exploration of the nooks and crannies she'd thus far missed.

Among the sights were the darkly furnished Imperial library, a massive swimming pool on the middle deck, an elegant, guilded dining room intended for late night drinks and poker, and the hangar bay at the lowest level, housing several dozen military and commercial ships (as _The Desiderata_ had originally been designed to be a military vessel, not a glorified cruise ship, and was still armed to the teeth).

Maybe it had been the Rey had occasionally found herself inexplicably humming songs from her childhood, and moving about in a floating fashion as if she was in the middle of a dance. Maybe it was the way she'd lingered a bit too long in the artistic literature section of the library, flipping through diminutive poetry tomes. Or, maybe it was the way she'd spotted _The Plexip_ from across the hangar, and had made a b-line towards it, smiling at the sharply-angled shuttle like an old friend – shaking her head at the realization that it made been shaped to resemble a butterfly this whole time, and she had simply failed to notice.

In any case, Rey had a sinking feeling Phasma was reading her like Telepaths read minds, and they'd soon be having a serious conversation concerning her future husband.

But that day wasn't today.

They entered the Grande Ballroom, finding the glimmering space empty of any tutor at its center.

“Sadly, his Lordship failed to find another man aboard who could lead you as your partner in ballroom dance lessons,” Phasma bluntly said.

Rey whirled to face her friend, eyebrows shooting up towards her hairline.

“Fortunately enough for him, Carina adored dancing, and I always learned the man's part to accommodate her.” Despite Phasma not dropping her helmet, given the presence of servants, her smile rang out loud and clear in her voice.

Rey breathed a massive sigh of relief and walked down to floor, taking up her dance posture with a significantly better partner.

“Today, I am going to teach you the fundamentals of the Foxtrot, the Waltz' second-cousin, if you will,” Phasma said, friendly and instructive. With a curt nod to the servant in the corner, the needle dropped on the music player, and a steady, moving orchestral piece could be heard.

“Your posture will be similar to the waltz, but more lifted, more strict. Keep your carriage in this position at all times, but don't strangle yourself with it. Breathe through it,” Phasma instructed, patiently directing Rey's arms and posture into a raised hold.

“There will be spins and turns in this style of dance as well, but unlike the Waltz, you are counting in four instead of in three. As such, you can dance simply by walking.” Phasma demonstrated, pulling Rey along in her wake, gentle and heartening.

“Seems simple enough,” Rey murmured, her inexperience showing in her nerves. Phasma chuckled warmly.

“It doesn't get much trickier than that. Just keep lifted, move to the rhythm, and allow for a bit of spontaneity. The Foxtrot is simple enough that it can be improvised.”

The Captain demonstrated, leading Rey through a whirling Foxtrot, incorporating spins and twirls, and orbiting moves that swept the length of the floor, slow steps and quick, allowing for variety in their movements, and a relaxed lesson.

For the first time, Rey found herself smiling while in motion, laughing off her few mistakes when she miscounted or forgot her posture, but coming into the dance with ease in time. It made a whole world of difference to be taught by a trusted friend.

Near the lesson's conclusion, Phasma grew ambitious enough to attempt to carry Rey through a low-to-the-ground lift, but without due warning, Rey panicked and flailed, causing Phasma to drop her a bit early. Fortunately, Rey missed all of the Captain's toes...though she ended up sprawled on the floor instead.

“ _Oh, asteroid's lead_ – I'm sorry, my lady!” Rey accepted Phasma's helping hand with a dignified laugh. “I assure you I'll give you advance notice if I attempt a lift next time!” the Captain said, blatantly embarrassed.

“It's quite alright, Captain. Something tells me my first lift would've gone awry, regardless.” Despite the faux pas, Phasma and Rey bowed and curtsied to each other, concluding the lesson on a happy note.

Rey needed only to head across the hall to reach Social Etiquette with Tico. She was fiddling her thumbs a bit nervously when she entered – after reuniting the Tico sisters, she wasn't sure what kind of instructor she was going to find herself with this morning.

Strict Commander Tico, she could handle.

But if somehow, Madame Tico had bloomed into Rose overnight...Rey wasn't sure she would know how to react...

“Good morning, my lady,” Madame Tico threw out mildly, over her shoulder, as she finished setting up a long table with a chair on either side in the midst of the small crystal ballroom. Rey approached, bunching her lips to one side. Perhaps she was wrong. Maybe there would be no change in her tutor at all.

“Have a seat, Lady Rey. Today we will begin tackling a challenging, but crucial topic for the wife of the Emperor's Hand to learn to manage: public speaking and press conferences.” Rey nodded in grim understanding.

“Yes, a difficult topic indeed,” said Rey, sitting across from her tutor with her back straight, buoyant in her chair, poised with a regal bearing that was starting to become ingrained.

Rey's eyes went wide when Madame Tico shed a diminutive smirk of a smile, her molten-sun eyes glinting.

“You've already mastered the most crucial piece, my lady. When entering a press conference, or stepping up to a balcony or podium when making a speech, presentation and confidence are everything. Your entrance makes an impression before you speak a single word.” Rey nodded, allowing herself an internal victory smile, though outwardly she tried to stay impassive. In her experience, Tico's moods could change as quickly as the solar wind.

“Now, meditative practice and gradual exposure can help with the overwhelming of the senses at press events. Close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Center yourself.”

Rey did as instructed with ease, her mind lightening and focusing at the memories of her meditations with Kylo two days prior.

“Open them. Now, I'll depress this switch, which is programmed to control the lights and speakers in this room, and I will ask you a few simple questions. The goal is for you to tune out the stimuli, and focus on me.” Once Rey had nodded in understanding and assent, Madame Tico pressed the blue button on the flat, gray remote that fit her palm, and the speakers blared with loud conversation, the lights flashing to imitate the press' flashbulbs.

“What is your name?”

“Rey Somnus,” said Rey, blinking the lights out of her vision.

“And your home planet?”

“Jakku,” she said, locking eyes with Tico, starting to get a handle of things

“Your age?”

“21.”

“And the names of your family members?”

“Jarvis, Luna, and Finn Somnus.”

Tico clicked the remote and the room went back to normal.

“Well done, my lady,” said Madame Tico, shedding another crude, unpracticed smile, adjusting the sleeves of her jacket. “Now, onto the finer points. The tricky thing with press conferences is that you will often be asked leading questions – intended to lead you astray, and reveal embarrassing personal details that the press will latch onto. It is your job to mentally prepare for these intrusive questions, learn to recognize them, and answer them with dignity.

“Now I won't lie to you, my lady,” said Tico, tone dropping to a deadly serious and conspiratorial tone as she leaned in close “the press are _vicious_. They will ask provocative, scandalous questions. It will be crass and crude and completely outrageous at times. Above all, breathe deep, keep yourself centered and calm, and remember that the rude queries will eventually pass. Your answers, however, will be published, and will stick in the collective conscience of the public. As such, you must phrase them with care.”

Rey's brow wrinkled in distress.

“Generally speaking though, Madame, I'm just the be the wife of an important political figure. I lack the executive power to make galaxy-affecting decisions as he does. Surely, I can only be under so much scrutiny as a result?”

Tico mused, indecisive.

“True enough, I suppose, my lady. But still – you need to be prepared. For instance, if asked now by the press when the Hand can be expected to have an heir, how would you respond?” Rey felt her face turn bright red.

“Well, I...I would say that at the moment his Lordship and I had yet to discuss matters of-” she gulped “raising a family, but, in the distant future, it is possible?” Tico should have grimaced at her in disappointment. Her raised eyebrows, however, indicated sympathy more so.

“A sensitive, personal topic, yes? You gave a very reasonable, diplomatic answer for your first attempt. Keep that form with you at all times – it is as valuable a tool as your honor and dignity. Growing used to such drivel from the press will come with time, and practice. Soon, they could follow up with 'is it because his Lordship does not desire you?' and you won't even blush,” said her tutor, nodding in approval.

“...Should I attempt to respond to that question as well, Madame?” Rey asked, bemused, her nerves skyrocketing at the thought of such mortifying press conferences in her future. The Madame shot her a grin that could almost have been described as proud.

“Be my guest, my lady.”

“'The matter of family and heirs is a personal matter, kept exclusively between his Lordship and I. But I can assure you, we are quite happy, and expect a prosperous future.'”

And Rose beamed. Literally, her whole body light up, brightening the room like she was a glimmering, golden flame.

“Excellent. Very well done, my lady,” she said, her smile kind and inexplicably genuine. Even more amazing still, Rey found herself returning it.

“Thank you, Madame,” she said, the smile melting into a sigh “Will the press really ask such horrific questions?” Tico shook her head in disdain.

“That and worse, my lady.”

“Then lay them on me,” Rey said, resting her hands on the table assertively, firmly clasping them together, like a spitfire court lady who owned the room “I want to be ready for whatever they throw at me.”

For the rest of the lesson, Tico asked questions intended to arouse, befuddle, enrage, demean, and disturb – everything from questioning Rey's lineage, to difficult political and moral queries, questions that attacked her future husband, and terribly personal questions about her childhood, health upbringing, status, and magick.

Rey took each one as a personal challenge, as a judgment and assumption that might come at her from within the Imperial Court itself – and she shot each one down with poise and care. She killed them with kindness, misdirection, and cleverness.

By lessons-end, she could practically feel her heart beating a fiery, proud, war-drum beat in her chest.

“Truly, my lady, I am very impressed with your work today,” said Tico, as they rose upon Rey's dismissal.

“If I get angry or unbalanced, the press wins, right?” Rey said with a cheeky smile. Rose's pearly whites peeked out briefly, and Rey's heart took wing.

“Indeed. It is a game the Court plays, addressing the public, spinning diplomatic jargon...I daresay, you might become its champion.”

Rey took her curtsy with pride.

“Thank you, Madame Tico. I will see you tomorrow-”

But as Rey spun to take her leave, the Commander's suddenly quiet voice made her still.

“One...one thing more, my lady,” Tico murmured, clasping her hands together nervously. Tico bit her bottom lip, and despite the crisp military uniform and neat pencil skirt, high, tight bun, and high rank, her strict persona fell away in an instant. She suddenly seemed ten years younger to Rey's eyes

“I'm not...terribly good with words...I fell out of practice of speaking them with care and...heart, I suppose, when I joined the Imperial Navy. Out of need to be thicker-skinned, you understand...But, after what's happened...I _must_ speak my mind, however inadequately I convey my feelings.”

Rose stepped up to her, and clasped Rey's hands in her own, tight and warm and familiar.

“Thank you – though I could never do enough to repay you – for reuniting me with my sister, again...” she murmured, voice hard to support her warbling cords.

Rey shed a watery smile and squeezed Rose's hands.

“You are most welcome, Madame Tico,” she said, staring at the floor, considering how much she should say. But, honesty had unlocked the secret heart of Kylo Ren...so why would it not work here?

She met her tutor's glowing eyes.

“I know what it's like to be separated from family. The uncertainty, the waiting...the abject despair and feeble hope. When I discovered the barriers between you and Paige, I decided I had to do everything in my power to bring them down, and make a family whole again.” Rose's eyes grew round and condolent at her words, but she said nothing.

Rey sniffed, but tried not to get washed away by her emotions.

“I'm glad I could help,” she said, slipping her hands free of her tutor's. Rose sucked in a huge breath and rolled back her shoulders. Her posture said 'Commander,' but the slight glimmer of glassy, blue-tinted tears in her eyes was all 'Rose.'

“I will see you tomorrow for our next lesson, Lady Rey,” she said, a little hoarsely, turning away from Rey, perhaps to disguise the falling tears.

“Yes, tomorrow, Madame Tico-”

“Rose.”

“...I'm sorry?” Rey started, certain she had misheard. She _must_ have.

“Madame Rose, will do, Lady Rey,” she said, a bit stiffly.

Rey knew it was a fool's errand, but she posed her question anyway.

“Are you sure that is not too informal, Madame?” she spoke, quiet and polite. Rose's presence in the Ethereum was a tumultuous wash at best, so Rey could not tell what the slight brightening of her tutor's presence meant.

“...On the contrary, because we are familiar with one another, I find the usage of my last name – my Imperial name – to be _in_ appropriate,” she said, clear and with conviction, as ever.

Rey could only let a small breath. So _this_ then, must be the border where Tico and Rose met.

“Very well. Madame Rose is it, then.”

Rey left Social Etiquette feeling lighter than air. As such, Kaydel reporting that she was approaching a final answer to the mystery of the attack on Rey's parents over lunch only bolstered her spirit, along with a successful lesson on Dinner Conversation (which, while somewhat boring and consisting mainly of small-talk, Rey excelled at, having already done Conversational Etiquette with Rose). For the second night in a row aboard _The Desiderata_ , Rey went to bed happy.

During her brief wake during the Sacred Hour, try as she might to merely meditate in peace, she could not. Kylo's tiny surges of happiness from the next room were a little bit too loud, and she wasn't sure whether to be elated or nervous for the coming days.

~*~*~*~

Rey's second day of Public Speaking and Press Conferences went as well as the first – and was a good bit simpler. Having gotten through the hard stuff yesterday, today Rose focused more on training to tune out noise and light, and the finer points of delivering speeches, like projection, articulation, and making eye-contact with a crowd.

Rose's tendency to smile appeared as if it would become a habit, at her current rate of small grins.

After a brief lunch of a delicious meat stew and a slice of chocolate cake (for which Rey asked the male servant to give Daisy her compliments) Rey ambled over to her suite for Presentation with Phasma.

“Alright then, my lady, time to see what you've learned,” said the Captain, rounding on her pupil with fire in her eyes and a vivacious grin to match.

“Stars, I wasn't informed that I would be tested!” Rey exclaimed, her panic only about 80 percent fake.

“Oh hush, you'll be fine! Just don't hesitate on your answers – let's keep this rapid-fire! Question one, for your skin tone, what color must you avoid?”

“Peachy-pink – given that I'm tanned from the Jakku sun, it will wash me out.”

“Correct! What color is always an option – no matter the occasion?”

“Black. Except...maybe at my wedding? Depends on the traditions I suppose – on Jakku, brides usually wore white or bright blue.”

“Right again! And there is no universal, traditional wedding gown color. I've seen everything under the rainbow when it comes to Imperial brides,” Phasma said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head “Red is the most common shade, if you can believe it.”

“Given the gaudiness of court life, I do,” Rey said, her giggle baffled.

“Question three, what shades of eye-shadow suit you best?”

“Purple and blue, if I want to be dramatic, a range of soft browns, if subtle.”

“Yes – true or false, you can never go wrong with lace?”

“True.”

“Never, under any circumstances, mix and match what?”

“Loud, differing patterns.”

“Question six, general protocol for creating a hairstyle?”

“Coordinate it with your outfit – up, for long sleeved gowns or serious occasions, down, for minimal or sleeveless dresses and pantsuits. But, always keep it neat and deliberate, and keep in mind that simple and understated goes a long way.”

“True or false, there is more than one definition of the word 'beautiful?'”

“Resoundingly true. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – and thus, anything and anyone can be, and is, beautiful.”

Phasma applauded her loudly, but briefly.

“Well done, my lady! Now, one final bonus question to win it all.” Phasma leaned in close, almost nose to nose with her pupil and confidant, grinning wickedly.

“Are you in love with Kylo Ren?”

Rey's training from Public Speaking had taught her well. Her face remained fairly impassive and calm. But she could not stop the slight widening of her eyes, or the quick intake of breath...or the bright blush that swept over her cheeks if she tried...

“Stars, Phasma, that's not fair...” Rey moaned, burying her face in her hands. Phasma's chuckle was full-bellied and elated, and Rey hated it absolutely.

“Asteroids, Rey, if I had asked you directly, would you have given me an honest answer – or any answer at all?” Phasma said, between peals of laughter.

Running her hands down her burning cheeks, Rey swung her legs nervously, making the white fabric of her chic, strapless high-low dress float and bounce.

“...The past several days have certainly been an absolute _whirlwind_...” Rey said, beginning hesitantly. Phasma's joking act slowly dissolved into the look of patient kindness Rey was used to finding in Phasma baby blues.

“I can't imagine its been easy,” Phasma said, softly.

“He was my _captor_ ,” Rey exclaimed, suddenly rising to her seat from her vanity chair. “He stole from my home planet, he had me make a horrific deal that sold my life away, and he ordered me about. Then he saved my life, BeeBee's life, kept me safe from Hux, and started to change. He showed real kindness, and sympathy, and started opening up before me – blooming like one of the berry bushes from our lessons! He may as well be a completely different man,” Rey said, with a breath of epiphany and awe.

“I know I'm no longer am bound to marry him, in any way. And yet...I'm actually starting to consider the offer.” She let out a bit of a delirious laugh. “If someone had told me your whole life could change not once, but twice, so _completely_ in the blink of an eye, I'd have said they were crazy.”

Phasma shed a kind smile.

“I was never very spiritual – you know me by now, I was a rough-and-tumble metal Fae from the streets of Chandrila. I lived by my stubborn wiles and picked myself up when misfortune came my way. But after nearly eighteen years in the Empire's service, I've become a believer in the Gods' plan, seen beauty in the Ethereum's order.”

“Is that what you make of this? Beautiful, logical, inevitable destiny?” Rey asked, shaking her head in bemusement. Phasma's canines poked out from under cover, if just for a beat.

“You had a keen interest in pursuing a prince, he was in need of a kind, persistent heart. It seems fairly balanced exchange, even to my untrained eye. But, you still haven't answered my question, Lady Rey,” said the Dragoon, taking a seat across from her, propping her ankle on the opposite knee.

“Do you love him?”

Rey shook her head lightly, overwhelmed by the rush of warmth and fluttering and joy at question, at the mere thought that there was such understanding between the two of them, such vulnerability and trust, a joking rapport, and a joyful connection. A light, after so much difficulty and darkness.

And his endearments could be _so sweet_ , and tugged at her heartstrings fervently.

“I don't know what else to call this pull towards him – this bright, affectionate, trusting feeling,” Rey said, shrugging, and feeling terribly foolish, but giddy about it anyway. Her friend's hand came to rest on her shoulder, a squeeze that devolved into a playful nudge.

“I'm happy for you Rey, truly I am, and I hope it all continues to go well between you two. Take all the time you need – as far as I can tell, his Lordship is positively head-over-heels for you as it is,” said Phasma, rising from her chair in one motion, with a slight bit of a grunt thanks to her heavy armor, adjusting her violet tunic beneath the chrome as she stood.

“Nine heavens...” Rey exclaimed, covering her grinning mouth with her hand, blushing monstrously at the thought, though the sentiment could hardly be considered news to her. Phasma grinned at her wolfishly, helmet sliding back into place and concealing the smirk.

“And on that note – onto your lesson with him in the Solarium!”

“ _PHASMA!!_ ”

~*~*~*~

He was waiting for her, just inside his audience chambers when the elevator doors parted, standing a few feet from his throne. Her heart had been racing the entire walk over, and given that she wanted BeeBee to get out and about regularly now that she had permission to, she'd brought him along, tethered to her red belt again. Maybe he'd enjoy another splendid nap on one of those fluffy chairs.

...Or, maybe she'd just brought him along for courage.

“Good afternoon, my lady,” he said, brightly, dark eyes practically _twinkling_ behind their green glass. This was going to be a rather long lesson.

“Hello, Kylo,” she said, a little breathlessly, falling into step beside him as they made for the Solarium's stone door at the back of the room. She knew it was uncharacteristic of her, but she tried to avoid his gaze for the sake of hiding her blush.

“Your lessons with the Commander have been going well, I trust?” he said, immediately cordial and charming, the lilt of a smile in his voice. She shot an annoyed smirk his way, forgetting to hide her red face.

“Just because she's letting me call her 'Madame Rose' now doesn't mean anything, Kylo!” she retorted, prompting a huffy, modulated chuckle from her fiancé that made her stomach do ridiculous somersaults.

“Mayhaps not – but even now that I outrank her, _I_ still must refer to Tico as 'Commander' or she'd have my head,” he said as they swept inside the glowing, golden room, the bay window displaying three bright stars today, and a red and purple planet farther off.

BeeBee barked, tugging at his lead, and Rey released the fox to run excited laps about the room.

“Forgive me in advance, if he decides to chew the furniture,” she said, with lethargic chagrin at his hyperactivity.

“BeeBee can _eat_ the furniture, for all I care,” Kylo said, joyful at BeeBee's blatant excitement. The bat-eared fox was practically careening off the walls – when he wasn't burrowing under the carpets or wrestling with mouthfuls of the poufs.

“BeeBee-!” Rey exclaimed, when it was clear that she was beginning to lose all control of the situation. Kylo grunted in a combination of anxiety and confusion.

“Uh – little one, slow down-”

It was at that moment that BeeBee decided to trampoline off of a poufs and rocket into Kylo's arms, nearly knocking him over with surprise, less so the force of the impact, squeaking for pets as his tongue lolled.

“ _Stars above, you impossible creature!!_ ” Kylo guffawed, scratching the fox' belly with delight, Rey's laugh matching his octane of surprise. BeeBee tried to all but burrow into Kylo's arms and Rey stepped up, delighted to scratch behind his ears and diffuse her pet.

“Okay, boy, you've had your fun now – go lie down,” she said, taking the fox off of Kylo's hands and setting him on a particularly fluffy pouf. He circled the spot promptly and settled.

The sight of her fiancé's eyes crinkling from his smile brought a dizzying, sloshing feeling of warmth to Rey's stomach.

“So – any particular reason for the change in lesson location?” she asked, tracing the path of the familiar carpets idly.

“Yes, Lady Rey. There's no better place aboard to practice bending a little light.” She met his warm gaze uncertainly.

“But I couldn't summon a light orb at our first lesson.”

“I believe that was due to the block still affixed to your powers. Every Child of the Stars can manage a few fundamentals of heat and light – you've already proven that when you caught my fireball.” He quirked an eyebrow at her, thoroughly teasing. “Need I remind you, _also_ at your first magick lesson?”

Rey sighed, a light smile gracing her lips.

“Alright, I'll give it a go,” she said, rubbing her hands together and flexing her fingers to warm them up, pleased by the sight of golden dust still fluttering from her palms readily. She approached the nearest telescopic lens that was reflecting the three stars' light the most glaringly.

“Think of it as a subtle manipulation, my lady. Akin to...stretching your intuition, just with more movement involved,” he murmured, quiet, in his gentle voice reserved for instruction.

Rey shot her palm into the stream of light, abrupt and haphazard, and when her palm reflected the light like a hand mirror, she shrieked and drew it out of the beam.

Her hands shot to cover her mouth.

“...I didn't even have to think about it.” she breathed, hyper-aware of Kylo's glee and pride in the Ethereum “I just acted and it was _instant_ ,” she said, thrusting her hands forward again, gathering some light between them with ease, pulling a little glowing orb apart from the stream.

“That's because you've gotten stronger. Your magick _knows_ its full potential now – you merely need to trust it, and follow where it goes,” he said, beaming.

Rey let the little orb float beside her, and, curiosity bursting with possibility, she began to scamper about the room, pulling tiny orbs of light, and large ones, and shimmering ones, and gleaming ones like lava, and guttering ones like flame into the air about her. She spun and turned, and made the light dance and swirl and come to life at the lightest and subtlest of mental commands. She was haloed like a goddess, and between that and her brilliant smile, Kylo quite forgot how to breathe.

The orbs danced and orbited and ducked and dove about her, an elaborate, dizzying routine that only she knew all the moves to. They moved so quick, darting about, that they left aural streaks in the air that lingered on her corneas if she stared too long. With a two handed, dramatic flourish, Rey ended the impromptu routine, sending the lights flying back to their points of origin, rejoining the radiant beams refracting from the lenses, as if there had never been any separation at all.

And, for kicks, she thrust her palms together and tried to summon her own, personal light out of thin air, as her fiancé had created his fireball. The gravity well was there, gathering magick in an instant. The twinkling sphere of light that emerged shone like golden Dream Dust reflecting crystal starlight, floating gently in the palm of her hands, radiating energy like a little living thing.

“Stars above...” Rey murmured, staring at her palms in wonder, biting back her smile.

Just as quickly though, her glee dissolved, and the beautiful light with it.

“...What does this make me now?” she said, voice hollow and melancholy, staring at the lines of her palms.

Kylo was at her side in two strides, taking her askance hands in his.

“Children of the Stars like you and I don't easily fall into cleanly defined categories of Mystic magick. I'm mostly Inferi, but I have some Seer abilities here and there. You have an origin of Dusting, but a generous proclivity to Life and the Natural World, like a forest Fae. By my estimate...you're a Gaia.”

“The...magick that is characteristic of Grand Healers?”

“Yes, my lady.”

She slipped her hands from his loose grasp, turning her back to him, squeezing her elbows to comfort herself.

But despite the slight distance, he would not give up. And, as usual, he could read her emotions like an open book. He set his tender hands on her shoulders, and she wasn't sure whether to tense or melt under his touch.

“You're not a traitor to your Duster kind, Rey. Trust me, you're not,” he murmured quietly, so comforting and kind that she nearly missed his words. When they did hit, her heart smacked against her rib cage with the force of its enthused beat.

“...That's the first time you've called me by name – just my name.” His hands fell away, and Rey was sickeningly reminded of their time aboard _The Plexip_ , when he was bitter and cold, always pulling away from kindness and human compassion.

Then his arms enfolded her waist and the bad memories fled. The slight tremors in his fingers could hardly escape her attention. Her hands came to rest softly atop his own, stroking the back of his leather-clad knuckles encouragingly, losing herself to the buttery, soft texture of his gloves, and he stepped up closely enough beside her for their shoulders to align, his head just above hers. The hug warmed her, straight through to her bones.

When he spoke again, his infrasonic voice was ever so soft in her ears, hesitant too.

“You've discovered magicks that were already there, all along. Do not be ashamed of them, Rey. Discovering the fullness of who you are does not erase who you were. If in your heart and mind you are still a Duster, than that is what you are, and will be. It is entirely your choice. You needn't fear a separation from your brother because of a few new abilities.”

Rey started, unnerved.

“...I'm sorry...you were thinking of that particularly prominently,” he said, starting to part from her waist. But she wasn't in need of space. Rey gripped him a bit more tightly so that he wouldn't let go, his presence so, so soothing when his chest became flush with her back again. She sighed and forgave his slight trespass.

“Our magick was always a defining part of our familial connection. We did everything together, especially delivering dreams on our late night runs. Even if my Duster abilities seem to be staying...it won't quite be the same anymore.” She huffed in sadness. “I guess it was easy to forget about blood when we shared our magick.” This time, as his arms slid from her, she let him go.

He didn't stray too far, just to the nearest soft carpet, settling with his legs crossed, gesturing beside him. Rey smiled lightly and joined him.

“Considering – how important...Finn is to you, you've yet to speak of him...much,” Kylo stuttered, clearly nervous about bringing up the reason she'd made her deal with him. Rey smiled, a little grimly.

“He seemed like a difficult topic of conversation to bring up. I wasn't even sure if I should, without...complicating things.” she said, crossed her arms over her knees and meeting her fiancé's eyes without fear.

“I know, and I'm deeply sorry for that. For all of the time you felt trapped,” his brow pinched with guilt and sadness. She gave him a crooked half-smile.

“But, I'll tell you a story about him now if you like...”

Kylo's presence brightened in the Ethereum like a moth taking to flame, and he turned to give her his full attention, dark eyes trained on her. Rey grinned and began.

“You already know my favorite childhood hobby was getting into trouble. I never got into it just on my own, though; Finn was always my partner-in-crime. We never did anything serious, mind, at most we stole a bite from Hanna's sweet bread stand, or went somewhere we weren't supposed to, delving into all the little secret nooks and crannies in Niima. Once, during a break from school in anticipation of the onset of the rainy season, we snuck away from home during the Sacred Hour to scope out an abandoned Celeste Somni temple, just on the outskirts of town.

“We thought ourselves _fearless_ explorers, you understand, undaunted by anything, be it Krayt dragon pups or serpents or rodents or arachnids, and we'd done our share of climbing and jumping in our training. Naturally, we thought, 'How hard can it be to repel down a sandstone wall into sunken pit?'” Rey shook her head with a sigh.

“We were at least smart enough to take some manner of supplies with us – camping necessities, torches, signaling flares in case of trouble. We fashioned ourselves some climbing hooks and traveled into the dark pit the temple had been sucked into by the shifting sands.” She snorted with laughter “We were lucky we weren't swallowed whole by a Krayt dragon.”

“Did you run into one?” Kylo asked humorously, fully absorbed by her tale. Rey's eyes brightened conspiratorially.

“The _nest_ of one.”

“ _No!_ -”

“Temporarily abandoned. The mother must have gone out hunting. Anyway, we left the nest and three passive, blue-speckled eggs well-enough alone, and, finding a broken window in the half-sunken temple, we clambered inside and started to search the chambers partly filled with sand. There wasn't much there – sand-eroded scripture written on modular, tablet-tile walls, the sort that had layers upon layers of stacked writings about Somni teachings, written in Spark-Speak, which we tried our best to decipher,” Kylo hummed in surprise.

“Interesting. Walls of History in Nightmare temples are carved on one solid chunk of onyx – I didn't know they were assembled piece-meal for Somni...” Rey cocked her head.

“But then how do they add more prophecies when the block of onyx gets full?” He barked with laughter.

“They invest in carving out a new block from nearby volcanic formations and hauling it inside!” Rey chortled, carrying on when she caught her breath.

“The stained glass windows were shattered, and any books of liturgy were crumbling, and sun-bleached, but to us, it was like we had uncovered a lost civilization,” said Rey, throwing her arms wide in a pantomime of her childhood enthusiasm, making Kylo laugh.

“We collected odds and ends of everything – pretty bits of glass, a small tome of scripture. Finn even managed to find a secret cache and an abandoned casket of offerings. Most of it was small coins with a few uncut, precious stones, but, since the temple hadn't been looted by anyone else before, it had sat there for nearly a century, undisturbed. The coins had _huge_ historical value, as we found out years later. Selling the little haul to a group of traveling Historians allowed for Finn and I to move out and finally get a place of own.

“So, with all our salvaged treasures, we decided we'd best hurry back before our parents realized we'd gone further than just a practice lap around the block, and when started to clamber out, the sky split open and the rain started to pour down on us. The climb out of the pit was a lot trickier when the walls were slippery, even with our well-anchored climbing ropes...” Rey paused for dramatic effect, biting her lip in excitement.

“And _then_ the red-scaled, Krayt dragon came back home, to get out of the rain.” Kylo gasped in horror.

“Finn and I climbed for _our lives_ , scaling the wall faster than we thought possible, but even though we hadn't even gone _near_ her nest, the mother was murderously protective. She chased us even as we clambered out of the pit and sprinted through the soggy mud, great golden eyes getting larger and larger in the dark and torrential rain every time I glanced back.

“I thought for sure we were done for, but then Finn, _brilliant_ reckless Finn, took a chance and told me to keep running to distract the creature. We were nearing Niima's outer-ring of houses, and Finn bounded up to the nearest roof in one jump. To this day, I've never seen a single Duster make so large a single leap, relative to how short he was at that age. He summoned up all his energy, all his focus, and leapt from the roof, hands and arms gleaming gold with Dream Dust. His aim was so true, he landed on the dragon's head. By the time her skull hit the ground, my brother astride her neck, she was sound asleep,” Rey concluded, with a self-satisfied smile.

“It was the first thing we kept in confidence, just between us. Oh sure, our parents berated us at the time when we showed up at the door, soaking wet and caked in mud, and they knew all about our temple excavating. But they never found out we'd faced down a Krayt dragon that day and lived to tell the tale.”

Kylo chuckled warmly.

“It's plain to see how much you love him,” he said, legs splayed a bit more casually on the carpet now, relaxed and informal as he leaned back on his arm. Rey nodded in earnest.

“We've always looked out for each other. He's been the one constant I've had in my life.”

“I'll send for him the moment we make planet-fall on Mustafar,” Kylo said, definitive and firm.

“But I haven't proven myself at the Engagement Ball, yet,” Rey said, half cheeky, half genuine counter-point.

Kylo sighed and _rolled his eyes_.

“My lady, the mere _idea_ of you showing up at the top of the ballroom's grand staircase and _not_ instantly enchanting the entire assemblage with your charm and beauty is too ludicrous a prospect to even consider,” he said, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Rey snorted, she had to when he spoke like that. But she had to blush at the string of generous compliments too.

“You have that much faith in me that I won't make a mess of the whole evening that you guarantee I'll see him when we arrive?!” she said, incredulous. Kylo nodded, adamant.

“In roughly two weeks time.” Rey's brow furrowed.

“Stars, we'll be on Mustafar that soon?”

“About...three days after the ball, I believe?”

A horrifying thought flitted across Rey's mind in regards to the momentous event.

“Will the Emperor be there...at the ball?”

“No!! No, my lady, have no fear, the Emperor will not be attending.” Rey let out a sigh of relief, and Kylo was quick to give her hand a comforting, brief squeeze. “Just other members of the Imperial Court. Provided the Emperor changes his tune, the next and mayhaps only time you'll have to see him is at the wedding.”

The _wedding_.

It was a word that carried so much lofty weight, and Rey wasn't sure whether it scared or excited her.

“Is that intended to be on Mustafar as well?” she ventured, cautiously. Kylo nervously balled his hands into fists, sitting up straight again.

“That...was the general idea. The palace is more than adequate enough to house the guests and host the event...provided, of course, it...happens at all...” he said, painfully awkward, but not particularly sorrowful.

Kylo cleared his throat abruptly.

“I'm afraid I have to cancel our Thursday lesson...I'll be having a meeting with the Emperor himself at that time. But, given your success today, one dropped lesson will do no harm.” Rey's heart shuddered at the thought.

“A personal meeting with the Emperor, that sounds nerve-wracking. What is the subject of this meeting – if you don't mind me asking?”

Kylo's shoulders tightened as if they were spring-loaded.

“You, my lady.” Rey's eyes widened fearfully.

“Oh.”

“Fear not, my lady, I'm sure enough time has passed for my sire's anger to cool. We will be able to discuss the details of our engagement on cordial terms, I'm sure.”

“...Are you going to tell him about your amendments?” Rey asked, biting her lip, and attempting to meet her fiance's eyes.

Kylo sighed, languid and anxious.

“...I haven't decided myself. But, I've made my declaration. Regardless of what the Emperor may...may do in response to a sudden breaking of our engagement...I cannot force you to stay. I _will not_ force you to stay,” he murmured, empathy ringing out loud and clear in the Ethereum.

Rey weaved her fingers together in her lap, fussing with her thumbs and twisting her fingers positions about.

She had half a mind to say she was considering staying. But nerves, and quite a bit of lingering uncertainty about the whole situation kept her quiet.

“My lady...before I dismiss you...”

He sounded so unsure she had to speak.

“Yes?” she said, looking his way and ceasing her fidgeting.

The fire of his heart in his chest seemed to gutter, so pronounced were his nerves. He turned to face her, settling smoothly into a crouch on his knees.

“I...I have something for you...”

Rey brightened in surprise.

“Really? What for?”

“It's just...well it's – it's symbolic gift for you, my lady...” he stuttered, dark eyes flitting about, not meeting hers. Rey leaned towards him, settling on her haunches.

“What it is?” she asked, her adorable curiosity charming him completely. The little nervous laugh he gave made her heart balloon in her chest.

Then he drew the small box from his pant's pocket and Rey's hands flew to cover her mouth when he flipped open the lid to reveal what was inside.

The engagement ring's weaving, twin, curlicue bands were dotted with three miniature diamonds on either side of the solitary, circular ruby at its heart.

Rey had seen and experienced no shortage of luxury and finery in the past weeks, from the fine china and sterling silver utensils she ate with, to the delicate fabrics of the gowns she wore, to the plush mattress and pillows of her Queen-sized bed.

But when it came to the extravagant jewels tucked away in her closet's drawers, she had looked at them little and worn them less.

The chunky necklaces and dripping earrings composed of every gemstone imaginable just seemed like far too much for every-day wear. It was expense that bordered squarely on the uncomfortable and vain, at least, for her. But the ring was modest, and intended specifically for her.

The way this ring caught the Solarium's light and sent it dancing about the room took her breath away enough. But it was the gesture that sent her heart racing, in equal parts joy and anxiety.

“Let me make myself clear, my lady, you don't have to wear it.” Rey's hands fell away from her face and her eyes bored into her fiancé's. “But...I wish to gift it to you anyway, in the Imperial tradition of proposals...May I put it on you...just so you can try it...?”

Rey nodded, still feeling a bit dizzy.

With the utmost care, Kylo plucked the ring from its velvet bed, and softly taking Rey's left hand in his, slid the ring in place on her fourth finger. It fit perfectly. His hand lingered, thumb gently stroking the back of her hand, as they sat quietly in this moment, feeling the loftiness of it, the offer of Kylo's promise given sincerely and sweetly, the longing hope in his gaze laying his feelings bare.

“It's beautiful, Kylo, thank you...” she said, her awe and gratitude plain. But, to his intuition, so was her hesitance. “...I just don't know what to say...”

“You needn't say anything, my lady. I gave you four months to consider my offer and more than three still remains. You don't have to wear it, not ever again, if you do not want to become my wife.” He slowly and tenderly removed the ring again, setting it carefully back into its box and closing the lid.

He took her hand again and set the box in her palm, wrapping her fingers around it, and resting his other hand atop the box too.

“But...I sincerely hope, one day...that you do wish to wear it.”

Despite the leather clothing, tough and akin to armor, she could still spot him swallow roughly.

“Let this ring less-so symbolize the promise of a union and...more so......how much I...” His courage was failing him, and his words guttered to a halt. Kylo made a move to rise, and Rey all but leapt forward to grasp his shoulders and stop him.

“...How much you care for me...” Rey finished, staring deep into his cavernous dark, green-covered eyes, echoing with his fear and his hope. Never before had she wished more that he remove the accursed helmet so she could see his true face.

“...Yes. And I do care for you, Rey, please believe me, I-” The beginning of his nervous ramblings screeched to a halt when she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and held him tight.

His exhale shuddered as he held her, pressed against his chest, feeling wonderfully weightless and warm.

“I know,” she murmured, trying to ingrain the feeling of his arms about her in her mind, testing their strength and comfort and gentle pressure.

Could she envision these arms embracing her for the rest of her life?

She wasn't sure yet.

...But, Thirteen Hells, it felt good to be held by him.

She felt herself almost become boneless in his embrace, melting into his touch, and at the feeling of utter peace his intuition sensed in her, he breathed out a tiny, modulated laugh of wonder.

“I know you care for me...” she said, squeezing his shoulders a little tighter.

“ _The terrifying thing is, I'm beginning to care for you too_ ,” she thought, but she kept that thought guarded in the recesses of her mind, sealed away. She would tell him, when the time felt right, if it ever felt right.

She was growing suspicious it would be, soon, that her feelings for him had as much of hope of waning as Jakku had hope of ever seeing snowfall.

She let her warm, fuzzy little feelings fill her mind, strong enough for him to taste. She wanted to let him on to a piece of what she was feeling. It felt to her the right thing to do.

His essence in the Ethereum seemed to burst in delight, firecrackering and sparking technicolor with his happiness that she had affection for him, genuine affection, in some form or another. When his joy became a bit much and she felt herself growing shy in his arms, she gently drew away and rose to her feet. He followed suit.

“I will consider this thoroughly and carefully, Kylo. Trust me on that,” she breathed, tapping the ring box in her palm.

“That's all I ask, my lady,” he said, eyes gleaming happily.

Rey sucked in a quick breath, gathering up her courage as shuffled over to BeeBee to wake him with a bite of cacti.

“Can I ask you something?” she said, as she wrapped her fox' leash about her wrist, BeeBee crunching away.

“You already have,” he said, warm and teasing. She grinned.

“...When can I see your face? Without your mask?” she said, biting her lip, BeeBee hopping off of his pouffe.

Kylo's presence in the Ethereum swirled with anxiety.

“...Soon, Lady Rey,” he said, his mind clearly settled, though still terribly nervous. Rey smiled in an encouraging way. She dipped into a small curtsy.

“Until Friday's lesson, then, Kylo.”

“Until then...” he murmured, and Rey all but skipped from the Solarium, the dumbest, happiest grin on her face.


	16. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pryde's lecture on the Great War demystifies some of Rey's childhood heroes. Madame Rose breaks with tradition.  
> Kylo invites Rey to dine with him at breakfast.

“As promised, my lady, today we will be discussing the Great War,” Duke Pryde began ceremoniously, the following morning. “Tell me, Lady Rey, what were the fundamental causes and motivations behind this severe conflict?” posed Pryde, leaning back against his podium across from her seat, his shadows billowing about him.

“Numerous...and complex...” Rey began, a bit uncertain how to unpack such a multi-layered question. “On one hand, there were great divides in political ideologies between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. The Empire wished to unite the galaxy under one banner and one government, while the Rebels fought for more autonomy, wishing to reform the Old Republic's Senate, in favor of a system that allowed each planet to have a voice in making policy.

“But, beyond the political implications, and the Empire's system of rule that increasingly became a system of tyranny and brute-force control – and genocide, with creation of the _Mors Sideris_ , the weaponized planet-killer – there was another layer to the conflict. The ancient, tug-of-war of duality between Nightmares and Somni.”

“Indeed, Lady Rey. Examining this divisive conflict has proved particularly difficult for Historians. Though the children of Gods we may be, Mystics are a flawed species, incapable of completely ridding ourselves of personal biases...” Pryde said, somber and reflective, for a pregnant, quiet moment. But then, he straightened and continued.

“We've examined the Son's Heir in the interest of deconstructing his myth, finding the Mystic beyond the hero-worship and Imperial propaganda. Today, I wish to do the same for the most notable figures on the Republic side.”

Pryde waved his hand and the lights winked out, the Illuminator whirring to life as he began to display file photos of Resistance heroes on the projector tarp, and tell their stories.

The names he began listing were less familiar to Rey, at first. When it came to stories about the Great War, her parents details on military leaders like Admiral Ackbar, a Kelpi, and General Calrissian, a Changeling, were scant and few.

Then, Pryde threw out the name Han Solo and Rey's attention snapped to the screen.

“Han Solo, the smuggler?” Rey blurted out, the leather vest, cream shirt, and utilitarian navy pilot pants of the devilishly charismatic rebel striking her as a bit plain for a war hero, well-known for his ego and good looks.

“So you know of his history, then, my lady?” Pryde said, razor teeth flashing.

“A bit, sir. He came from the planet Corellia, from nothing – a poor street urchin and orphan who made a life for himself through his smuggling exploits.” She shed something of a guilty grin. “Stories about his adventures were my favorites, though I doubt every tale my parents spun for me was true,” she said, heart still squeezing at the mention of her missing family, though not as badly as it had in the past. She had faith in Kaydel's research.

Pryde chuckled, a bit of a coarse, gravely sound, but it still had some warmth to it.

“There are quite a great number of stories about the exploits of Han Solo. They are illusive tall-tales as far as Historians are concerned – they are as numerous as they are impossible to confirm. Solo was a unique character among the Resistance,” Pryde said, beginning to pace, “He became involved in the Rebellion by happenstance, after agreeing to ferry two Mystics to Alderaan. No one is quite sure why after this meeting Solo appeared to become adamantly dedicated to the Rebel cause. Some say he found a life-long friend in one of the travelers – and while I don't dispute that claim, I don't think Solo would have taken on the rank of 'General' for any old friend.”

Pryde clicked his projector remote, changing the slide to reveal a beautiful young woman, her hair done-up in a pair of circular hair buns, whorled at the center.

“Care to take a guess, Lady Rey?”

“Senator Leia Skywalker-Organa, perhaps?” she said, with a cheeky smile.

“Correct, and my hypothesis as to why Han Solo was persuaded so completely to join the Rebellion. Leia is perhaps the most difficult Rebellion hero to de-mystify, as her reputation as a powerful Boreal Guard and formidable Ares already sets the stage for a strong character. In her campaign as General, she could do no wrong. She strategized carefully, knew when to be bold and when to be careful, and her leadership helped bring about the destruction of _The_ _Mors Sideris_ , and the end of the war.

“However, she was short of temper, crass at times to point of derision in her closest companions. She could be stubborn as Hellfire – a valuable quality for a General. But after the Great War, her divisive nature caused difficulties for her in office as Senator, even more so in her ruling as Queen of New Alderaan, where her rule was tumultuous and difficult at the best of times. She could never truly find her place of leadership in a galaxy at peace.”

“But would that be an inherent flaw of her character, sir, or more of a difficulty of circumstances?” Rey asked, puzzled. Pryde sucked on his teeth in thought.

“I suppose it can be a bit of both, my lady. Historians theorize that the disconnection of personalities betwixt her iron-clad self, and her free-wheeling husband, Solo, may have been the reason for their son's fall from grace...” he said, speculative and uncertain.

Rey started in surprise.

“I knew Han and Leia married after the war, but I never knew they had children.”

“Just the one, my lady,” he said, vaguely.

She settled her chin in her palm a bit somberly.

“As a child, the tale of their whirl-wind romance seemed so fantastical and wonderful to me. The older I got, the more that illusion fell away as I realized how much their personalities would have clashed. As such, when I finally learned of their separation, it really didn't come as that great a surprise. I hope their child didn't suffer too much because of it...” she murmured, vulnerable and empathetic. After all, she knew a thing or two about absent parents.

Pryde didn't have much to say to that comment, simply shuffled awkwardly in place, fussing with the cap of his fountain pen again.

He was quick to shake himself from his stupor.

“And, lastly, of course, there is the boy who saved Darth Vader, Leia's twin brother,” said the Duke, with another click of his remote, flashing a picture of the blonde, blue-eyed young man Rey had been hearing stories of all her life.

“Luke Skywalker,” Rey nodded in recognition.

“Child of the Stars and Mystic Gaia, his reputation as the ace-pilot who destroyed the first _Mors Sideris_ , and skilled warrior proceeded him long after the end of the war. Do you know of his origins, Lady Rey?”

She could only shake her head. Luke's life before the war was a complete mystery.

“Skywalker was a farmer, on the desert planet of Tatooine.” Rey's eyes turned wide and round as dinner plates.

“Truly?”

She couldn't believe the Galaxy's single greatest hero, whom she'd admired all her life, Finn's favorite character in her parent's tales was...well, frankly, not too different from herself. Pryde nodded, his satisfied smile modest.

“For all his success in the war, he was an ordinary Mystic with humble beginnings, and ambitions never exceeding those of becoming a pilot. He rallied to the Rebel cause because of his strong moral compass, and confronted his father Vader in hopes of saving him, not killing him and leaving the Empire leaderless. With all this in mind, Lady Rey, what does this tell you about the legacy and lives of revered heroes, generally speaking?”

Rey shed a sage smile.

“That there is always a great deal more to a Mystic than what is written in the History books. They had whole, complex, flawed lives, before, during, and after the events they are known for, and there is value in learning about these modest tales.”

“How so, my lady?” Pryde, already smiling in satisfaction.

“So that we may be reminded that key players in life's greatest events can come from anywhere.” Rey concluded, the thought happy and hopeful, and not entirely what she had expected to come from a deconstruction of war hero reputation's.

“That humble foresight is what we lose when we deify History's most prominent figures,” Pryde said, nodding smartly in agreement.

The lights came back on with a flicker and the Illuminator's fan whirred slowly into silence. Rey rose from her seat before her tutor even opened his mouth to formally dismiss her.

“You are dismissed, Lady Rey. I will see you in two days time-”

“Professor?”

“Yes?” said the Duke, turning back to face her, his shadows swirling in surprise.

“Two queries before I go. First, you mentioned the Mystic abilities of both Leia and Luke, but not Han. Why is that?”

Pryde splayed his hands on the podium, tapping his fingers nervously.

“That is because Solo's Mystical genetics are hotly debated amongst scholars. Some theories include him being a Golem, or perhaps a Changeling like his elusive confidante and partner-in-crime, Calrissian.”

“What is your theory, sir?” Rey asked, mildly curious. Pryde pressed his lips into a grim, thin line.

“A controversial one, my lady. By my analysis, Han Solo was in fact, not a Mystic at all.”

“...He was a Dannan?” Rey breathed in surprise.

There few, very few among the sentient population of the galaxy who lacked magick at all. In the olden days, just after the Gods made planet-fall, all peoples had been Dannan. Now, there was seldom anyone who lacked one drop of magick or another.

“In theory, my lady,” Pryde said, stiffly.

“I knew he was a capable, skilled smuggler, but...without magick? He must have been a rare talent indeed, then,” Rey murmured in admiration, prompting her professor to break out in unexpected peals of laughter.

“Only you, Lady Rey, could look at a smuggler and call him a rare talent!” he said, between boughts of laughter. Rey simpered.

“A dishonest trade it may be, but it still requires skill,” she countered, not so adamant on the matter that she wanted to have a lengthy debate about it.

“And your second query, my lady?”

Rey flexed her fingers anxiously.

“As a result of my magick lessons with his Lordship, the phrase 'Children of the Stars' has entered the conversation a lot. To this day, I don't quite understand the use of the term. I thought all Mystics were Children of the Stars?” she asked, quietly.

Pryde gazed at her kindly.

“'Children of the Stars' merely refers to the direct line of ancestry from the Son and the Daughter, my lady. It is a challenging subject, as powerful Mystics are so numerous and wide-spread, it is difficult to precisely trace their vast and expansive family tree. If you are deeply curious on the subject, it can be the topic of our next lesson – tracing the path of the God's progeny,” Pryde offered.

Rey's heartbeat accelerated. Yes, this was what she had been hoping for. An opportunity to find out more about her fiancé's former identity.

And perhaps, more importantly, to learn of her own.

“Yes, I should like that very much, Professor,”

“I'll be sure to bring the relevant texts on the subject,” he said, with a light smile. Rey curtsied and went on her way, scurrying to etiquette with hope burning bright in her chest.

~*~*~*~

“How familiar are you with the concept of 'turning the other cheek,' my lady?” Madame Tico asked that afternoon, settled casually across from Rey in the smallest of _The Desiderata_ 's ballrooms. It was almost too informal, given Rey's previous experience with the Commander's teaching style.

“Familiar enough, I suppose. But I'll plainly state, I'm used to a much franker world than the masquerade of Imperial Court life. Which is to say, if I'm mistreated, I don't put up with it. I fight the injustice, however I can, given the circumstances.”

Rose gave her something between a grimace and a smile.

“And in normal society, that is an admirable quality, standing up for one's beliefs, having that strength of moral character,” Rose conceded.

“But not here,” Rey hazarded a grim guess. Rose nodded, soberly.

“Among the members of the Court, no matter how foul, how inexcusable, how horridly they behave, Imperial etiquette preaches a 'kill-them-with-kindness' philosophy,” Rose's expression turned stern, but not for the usual reasons Rey expected of her strict tutor. “That is the philosophy I have forced on my cadets and students as well, in my many years of training them. It mattered not what I did to them, they were expected to respect me.” She uncertainly wrestled with this concept, her brows furrowing and her fingers fidgeting uncomfortably in her lap.

“It is one thing for such expectations to exist in military – where a mutual respect is also demanded of both parties. There were times in my life, I confess, when I was fond of the Imperial façade for that very exchange. Now I can see how much trouble a system of silence can cause...” Rose murmured, her eyes taking on a glassy, far-off sort of look. It was as if the usual embers had gone cold.

Rey felt something in her chest tighten, forcefully.

“Why do I get the inkling much horror and violation of basic Mystic rights has occurred in Imperial society because a few privileged people have far too much power?”

Rose seemed to crumple, right before her eyes, like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

“I used to hear stories of how servants and young Court hopefuls were treated behind closed doors. I had such belief in the chain of command that, when I heard such atrocities occurred – I didn't care...” Rose breathed, lower lip trembling “And now that I've been reunited with Paige...the _stories_ I've heard from her about her years of service – hers _and_ others. And Paige was one of the lucky ones.”

Rose was swiping at tears now, utterly disgusted with herself.

“Before, I could have never understood. Never. I blindly trusted the system when it had always kept me safe – never once thinking that those who worked the jobs of unseen labor would go unheard as well. I always assumed there had been some manner of seduction involved on the part of _the victims_ -” Rose choked on her words, covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her sobs.

The raw shame and guilt rolling off of her in waves in the Ethereum – it could make a man cease breathing with the pain.

Rey had no idea what to do.

“Madame Rose...” she said, hesitant and unsure for a beat, before her bleeding heart prompted her to reach out to her tutor, and place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rose said nothing, but acknowledged Rey's hand by placing her own on top of Rey's. Rose nodded, curt and stiff, her tears drying up as she regained control of herself.

“I cannot change the past. It is far too late for that. But, no more will I promote such beliefs. While, in the case of the press, I _would_ advise remaining polite, even in the face of infuriating questions, when it comes to members of the Court, I implore you to follow your instincts. Engaged or not, it will matter very little to some of those opportunistic aristocrats. If they find you attractive, there is no low they will not stoop to,” Rose said, hauling herself to her feet, and prompting Rey to do the same.

“Ignoring a back-handed compliment is one thing. I will not let another one of my pupil's end up in a treacherous position unarmed again,” said Rose, summoning a bo staff made of hardened light and fire out of thin air, and tossing it to her pupil, who caught it with ease as Rose magickally armed herself as well.

And so, the rest of the lesson was dedicated to polite refusal, tactics on how to escape nefarious conversations, self-deprecating statements and subtle threats intended to dissuade anyone who would threaten her honor, and self-defense skills, so if all else failed, Rey could protect herself.

Given Rey's experience with a quarterstaff, defense training (with military veteran and expert fighter, no less) proved to be fairly straightforward and rewarding, in spite of fury with which Madame Tico sparred.

Following that workout, Rey proceeded to have a second with Phasma after lunch. The Captain attempted to teach Rey the most complex, nuanced dance style yet, the Tango – an intimate, fiery, traditional Imperial courtship dance. The sharp turns, whipping, churning fancy footwork, stiff posture, and uncomfortable physical closeness the dance all required, had Rey and Phasma intermittently in stitches with laughter, and in frustration and pain, due to falls, trips, crushed toes and elbowed ribs.

Regardless, the pair got through the whole routine once, barely, and Phasma promised they'd run a refresher on Friday. Rey heartily agreed. The more practice, the better.

The last outcome she wanted for the Engagement Ball was for her fiancé to be carried off to the Medical Bay with seven broken toes, three bruised ribs, and a strained neck.

~*~*~*~

When Rey awoke Thursday morning, it was to the sound of Phasma careening about her suite, yelling in panic.

“What? What is it, Phasma, it's far too early for-”

Rey sat up and was hit in the face by a green, silk, tea-length gown, her head promptly swallowed by the poufy skirt.

“His Lordship has requested your presence at breakfast!” Phasma yelped in terror, charging back into Rey's closet for a pair of shoes as her Captain's panic shot through Rey's body like a bolt of lightning and she _understood_.

With a yelp, Rey threw off her nightgown, replacing it with the clean underclothes already sitting atop her black duvet, and, shucking on the green gown, raced into the closet so Phasma could shove the pointy-toed, emerald green flats onto her feet, do up her hair in a cute, messy bun, and rapidly do her makeup.

Rey was ready in record time, and the pair speed-walked to the dining hall, stopping briefly outside the placard reading _The Bronze Room_ so Rey could take a few deep breaths and calm herself.

Phasma entered first, and Rey swept in after the Captain's brief announcement of: “She's here, your Lordship.”

Just as quickly, the chrome Captain left, and it was just Rey, a long, rectangular table piled high with mouth-watering savory and sweet breakfast foods, and her fiancé, sitting at the opposite end, shrouded in shadows. The lights at his end of the room had deliberately been turned off.

“Good morning, Kylo,” Rey said, giving him a miniature curtsy in greeting, heart hammering against her chest. Her fiancé rose to greet her, but did not leave his halo of shadows, manipulating the element into weaving tendrils that pulled her chair out for her in his stead.

“Good morning, Lady Rey,” he said, voice lilting and quiet, once again lacking the electrically-projected buzz and supernaturally low timbre his helmet provided. “Forgive me for waking you at this hour, and for the unexpected invitation. I normally try to avoid spontaneity.”

Stars above, he sounded _shy_.

“Then, what is your reason for breakfasting together? Not that I'm apposed, mind,” Rey said, with a light laugh, taking her seat and allowing the shadows to push in her chair, her hands already flitting about in her eagerness to serve herself a bit of everything.

“...None, in particular, my lady...I just...wanted to see you,” Kylo said, his nervous chuckle sending a bolt of warmth straight into her chest, and prompting her to blush.

He'd invited her on a date.

“I see. Forgive me if I leave most of the talking up to you, for now, while I eat. I promise to share anecdotes as well once I've had a few bites.” Without ceremony, Rey tore into her breakfast with zeal, savoring every bite of the eggs, bacon, toast, sweet cakes, raspberry tars, cinnamon swirls, and sliced fruit.

“By all means, enjoy, my lady!” said the Inferi, chuckling warmly and tucking in as well.

They ate in companionable silence, simply enjoying the meal. Eventually though, Kylo sat up at the table's opposite end and gave her his full and undivided attention.

“How are your dance lessons going with the Captain?” he asked amicably. Rey cringed at the question, wiping her mouth with her cloth napkin before she responded, as Kaydel had trained her to.

“I fear the Tango isn't for me, but that has nothing to do with Captain Phasma's lack of trying,” she said, the embarrassed laugh escaping her mouth before she could hope to stop it. Fortunately, Kylo's jovial laugh did much to bolster her confidence and warm her heart.

“She's a wonderfully patient, detail-oriented instructor. With her, I actually have a hope of seeing what's enjoyable about ballroom dancing.”

“Yes, I can only imagine how awful the past-time must have seemed when Hux was your instructor,” said Kylo grimly.

Rey tensed, but figured there was no shame in asking the question.

“...Has your formal dismissal...gone through?” she murmured, hesitant.

His unnaturally long pause immediately set Rey on edge.

“My lady, I've encountered some...difficulty, shall we say, in arranging Hux' discharge from my ranks,” he said, with a sigh.

“What exactly do you mean?”

“My sire will not let me do away with him completely. His reputation proceeds him, his leadership skills are well-awarded and his military experience is unmatched – the Emperor will not allow for his outright dismissal. He will be transferred to another vessel, and another base, at the earliest opportunity, my lady, I can assure you. However...” he hesitated, fingers drumming on the table

“...He will likely be with us until we make planet-fall on Mustafar...”

Rey was on her feet in a second.

“How can you allow it?!” Rey exclaimed “Do you recall that he threatened me?! Do I need to spell out for you the horrific, base threat he made against my honor-!!!”

Kylo rose from his chair too, but his shoulders sagged, and his hands were raised plaintively.

“Even if I had the authority to dismiss him from _The Desiderata_ , we are removed from any other ship in my fleet. There is no where else we can drop him off until Mustafar. And Rey, please understand, I must follow my sire's orders. I am his obedient servant. Even if I was not bound by oath, I owe him everything...” Kylo said, though Rey could not detect one iota of loyalty or deference in his voice, just the weight of responsibility.

Rey could only shake her head at him, tears beginning to gather in her eyes.

She felt it in the Ethereum when Kylo's heart shattered at the sight.

“My lady, believe me, it pains my conscience to allow something so wretched to continue. If my Emperor had said no order to the contrary, believe you me, I would banish Hux in a heartbeat. But there is nothing I can do...” he pleaded, his hands outstretched in supplication.

Rey glared at him as angrily as she could.

“Can you at least assure me I won't run into him again, alone?”

“I'll make sure you are under guard at all times, my lady, either by Captain Phasma or by another military officer, and would advise you to avoid the bridge and the officer quarters at all costs. I swore to you, I would not allow any harm to come to you, and I am still bound to the letter of that oath. More than that...it would tear me asunder to see you hurt...” Kylo said, tone turning somber to the point of heartbreak as he slowly sunk back into his chair.

Rey did the same, finding it difficult to stay mad at her fiancé when he was clearly doing the best he could.

“...As for the matter of your difficulty mastering the Tango, I'm sure you'll come into it with practice. Phasma tells me you've excelled at the Waltz and the Foxtrot,” he said, attempting to lift them from the dire atmosphere.

Rey smiled mildly, but it was half-hearted at best.

“And your History lessons with the Duke, have they continued to be intellectually stimulating?” This question emboldened Rey's smile a hair more.

“Absolutely. The professor is still quite the character, and his humanization of History really grounds it in reality.”

“How so?” Kylo asked, amused and intrigued, reaching for his drink. Rey gestured in a vague shrug.

“I never knew Luke Skywalker was farmer from a desert planet, for instance.”

The Inferi had been swallowing a mouthful of water when she spoke, and now broke into a brief coughing fit.

“Are you alr-”

“Fine, my lady,” Kylo said, hoarsely, clearing his throat of any mistakenly inhaled fluids. “Skywalker, you said?”

“Yes, our week's discussions have largely been about the Great War and its key players on both sides.”

“Yes...Pryde was always keen on playing Inferi's advocate...” he muttered, darkly, his essence turning suddenly harsh and cold in the Ethereum “I may need to have a word with him about his intended curriculum.”

“Is there...something wrong in what he's teaching me, Kylo?” Rey hazarded, uncertain and increasingly uncomfortable.

“No, my lady!” he exclaimed “Just that...I do not wish for his lessons to end up confusing your perceptions...” he said, attempting to assuage her.

But Rey's intuition was waving all sorts of red flags in her face, and she wasn't about to ignore them.

“What 'perceptions,' your Lordship? Pryde's lectures do not paint either Nightmares or Somni as right or wrong – he teaches from a holistic perspective. He's trying to create a clearer picture of both sides motivations and mistakes-”

“It's more the topic of the Great War itself, my lady, that troubles me,” said Kylo, sternly, rising from his seat and beginning to pace at his end of the table. “I do not wish that he lecture you on the topic anymore.”

“Then you'll be relieved to hear we concluded that portion of our lessons, my lord. We won't be discussing the conflict anymore. We'll be looking into genealogy on Friday's lecture.”

“...Genealogy?” Kylo ventured, wearily.

“Of the...Children of the Stars.” Rey said, halting, but ultimately firm.

Rey felt Kylo's fury split and crackle like fire within a dry log through the Ethereum milliseconds before his outburst.

“ _You UNGRATEFUL Duster!! Have my memories, my painful, unbearable truths not been enough for you?!_ ” he screamed, eyes flaming red in the dark with internal Hellfire, his core turning white-hot, his shadow seeming to supernaturally darken before her eyes, like staring into the heart of a black hole. Rey was out of her seat, instantly, heart hammering against her rib cage in fear.

“Kylo – that's not-!”

“ _Going behind my back – refusing my good word, dissecting the secrets of my lineage!! As if all I've bared to you wasn't enough!! What will satisfy you, you glutton?! KNOWING MY BIRTH NAME?!_ ”

“ _I MIGHT NOT BE A SOMNUS!!!_ ” Rey shrieked, fearing his anger, the Man of Ashes' terrible, raw, aggrieved anger.

It was the only thing she could hope to shout in her defense – as painful as the truth might be.

“...What did you say?” he whispered, all his anger suddenly drained out of him, orange light flickering from his gaze.

“I asked Connix to help me, regarding the disappearance of my parents. When she tried to link a Hellfire missile attack that happened the night they vanished with the family name Somnus, nothing came up,” Rey said, voice raw with distress, with sorrow “The only logical conclusion was that...I might not be a Somnus at all...”

Kylo grew grim with introspection.

“...Was it wrong for me to ask her? To try to figure out what happened to my parents?”

“No, my lady.” His answer was immediate, firm, certain “By all means, you've a right to know what became of your parents – and your true lineage.”

His shoulders sagged in defeat, in shame.

“Forgive me my outburst, my lady. Please...I beg your forgiveness. It was foolish and heartless of me to think so little of you...” He was halfway into sinking into a supplicant genuflect, when Rey's heart trembled painfully.

If there was one thing she could no longer withstand, it was the half truths. And for all his talk of his family, and his pain, and the difficulties he'd faced, his outburst just now had made one thing crystal clear.

There were still things he was hiding from her, secrets he refused to share.

And one of those things was mere feet in front of her, concealed in shadow.

No matter how sweet, how caring, how kind he was to her, how could she agree to a union with this man when she had never seen him, in his true form of flesh and blood?

“I wouldn't need to turn to my History Professor for answers, if you would just stop refusing me them,” Rey said, with gritted teeth.

“ _What?_ ” he breathed, dangerously low, but Rey had lost her fear. An Inferi always keeps their promises. He wouldn't lay a hand on her.

She rounded the head of the table and marched straight towards him, charging for the shadows in which he hid.

“ _Stop._ Don't come any closer-”

“Come into the light,” she demanded, eyes boring into the dark where she should have seen his.

“My lady, I promised you, I would show my face soon-”

“Soon is a vague answer. Soon could be now.”

“That is _not_ how I had intended my words to be construed.”

“Then how-?”

“As no.”

“...Excuse me?” said Rey, imitating her fiancé's dark tone of voice in uncanny fashion.

“It is not yet the right time. I deny your request.”

Rey, eyes ablaze with pain, stepped into the dark and summoned a fiery ball of starlight into her fist, but by the time she'd raised it to her fiancé's face, his dark helm had risen from the shadow-matter about him and morphed back into place. Ashes floated thickly in the acrid air.

“Why are you doing this?” Rey cried, heart bleeding. Kylo raised himself to his full, daunting height.

“I am _the Emperor's Hand_. By his authority, I can do whatever _**I damn well please,**_ ” he snarled, monstrously. She didn't take the threat seriously for a second.

“Then why didn't you send Hux tumbling out of the nearest open airlock?” Rey countered, vicious “Why didn't you force me to wed you already? You could've had me _on my back_ by now if you just did whatever you wanted. But no, you hide your face, you conceal your past, and before we met, I'm willing to bet you hid away your heart from practically everyone.”

Kylo was stunned into horrified silence. But that wasn't good enough for her.

“ _What in the Thirteen Hells are you afraid of?!_ ” she screamed, exasperated and spent and dying to understand.

A long silence stretched between them.

When his constricted, glued-shut throat loosened enough to speak, it sounded as if he hadn't uttered a word in decades.

“...No one's seen my face...not since I was sixteen...” he murmured, every bit the fearful boy she'd seen and felt in his memories.

“Am I to understand, that if you had your way, I would _never_ see your face?” Rey said, aghast, wounded. “Not when we court? Not when we say our vows and are wed? Not when we sleep in the same room – not even to make love?”

Rey's own face turned red as a beet at the crassness of her words, at the mention of sex. Kylo's black eyes went wide too. But she no longer cared. She had to say her piece, or nothing would ever change between them.

“Thirteen hells, how do you expect me to kiss you with that _thing_ on?!” Rey exclaimed, gasping in utter despair and disappointment.

His growing distress and sorrow in the Ethereum was plain, but she did her best to turn her intuition from it.

“...Rey, I...you don't understand...”

She'd never heard her name spoken with so much pain behind it. But she pressed on.

“It's one thing to slowly tell me your past over time. The raw sting of facing such torment, I completely understand. But I _refuse_ to marry a man who denies me the ability to look upon his face...” Rey murmured, injured and final.

Just like that, she extinguished her light and left the dining hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated. <3
> 
> I might update a little less frequently this month, as I'm also participating in Inktober at this time and need to slow down in my other projects for the sake of my mental health.  
> Thank you all in advance for understanding. I love and appreciate each and every one of you. :) <3 <3 <3


	17. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's doesn't particular care what her engagement ball dress looks like (provided it isn't too revealing); she's upset with Kylo. But her anger lessens when she learns of his past and exactly who he used to be.

Parry. Parry. Thrust.

Spin. Block. Parry. Point.

“What can you always use as a valid excuse for leaving a conversation?” asked Rose.

“'Pardon me, my lord, my betrothed has need of me,'” Rey huffed in response.

Parry. Parry. Whirl. Block. Jab. Miss.

“What is a simple deterrent against any opportunist or lecher?”

“Always travel with a companion,” Rey grunted, viciously

Thrust. Recede. Block. Advance. Strike. Point.

“Give me an example of an under-handed threat.”

“'My betrothed, as the Emperor's Hand, will be expecting a maiden-bride. It would certainly come as a surprise to him, and his sire, should I start showing signs of pregnancy before the wedding.'”

Advance. Advance. Advance. Parry. Thrust.

Victory.

“Very, very well done, Lady Rey. I'm most impressed with your work this week,” Rose gasped, resting against her lava-tinted bo staff, flushed and smiling with pride.

“The self-defense exercises have certainly been helpful in giving me a constructive outlet. I'll be certain to continue them on my own time,” Rey murmured between breathes, setting down the slightly warm, glassy weapon Rose had offered her, and summoning up her own staff out of thin air, giving the starlight weapon a twirl and testing its strength and balance.

Rose's eyes widened in pleasant surprise, but just as quickly, her expression fell.

“A constructive outlet for what, my lady?” Rose asked, turned-up, dark brows the picture of concern.

Rey hid her surprised expression over her shoulder before turning to face her tutor, impassive, just as she had taught her.

“It's nothing, Madame Rose. It's simply been nice to practice earnest sparring again.”

Her mild smile had Rose completely convinced and beaming, even as Rey's heart sank into her stomach.

~*~*~*~

“...Truly? You told him _that?!_ ” Phasma exclaimed after lunch, voice just above a whisper, the two of them crowded in the back of Rey's closet, fussing over the Engagement Ball gown she'd yet to choose.

“Would you marry a man who purposefully hides himself from everyone, including you?” Rey retorted, breathy and quiet.

Phasma wrinkled her nose vaguely in distaste. Rey tossed her head.

“Okay, poor example. But would you have agreed to be with her if Carina had acted this way?”

“I wouldn't have fallen for Carina nearly as hard as I did, had she behaved the way his Lordship does,” said Phasma, her eyebrows raised in distress at the thought.

“My point exactly,” Rey sighed, slumping on her vanity bench in defeat.

Phasma came to rest on her knees in front of her, blue eyes gentle and encouraging.

“Fear not, Rey, I'm certain you made the right decision. I guarantee you his Lordship has internalized what you had to say and will think on the matter carefully. You will see him change his mind on this matter before long, I'm sure of it. This too, will pass,” said the Dragoon, laying a comforting hand on her lady's knee.

Rey smiled at her dear friend.

“How is it you always know exactly what to say?” Phasma grinned merrily.

“Frankly, my lady, I don't. I've simply served his Lordship long enough to understand his various moods,” the Captain rose, turning back to the rows and rows of gowns hung up on the racks.

“Have no fear that this will result in things sliding back to way they were. Only good can come of this, in the end. But, for the time being,” said the guard, clapping her hands together vigorously, an action that lost its snappy sound do to the thick leather fabric of her gloves “you still have a ball we need to dress you for.”

Rey sighed, loud and long.

“Honestly, Phasma, close your eyes, point, and pick out a gown at random – it matters little to me what I wear.” The blonde officer turned to glare at her.

“Maybe, but it matters a great deal to _me_ that my lady makes a good impression and shows those vile, Imperial royals _what for._ ”

Phasma began to look through the racks.

“Is there any traditional color for a gown at such events?” Rey asked, dull and disinterested.

“Navy, or neutral tones such as gray, black, silver, or cream are popular. So long as the color isn't too flashy or opulent, it'll suffice. The bright, jewel tones are generally reserved for the wedding gown,” she said, popping her head out of the sea of satin for a moment before diving back in.

“What do we have in black, then?” Rey asked, rising to help Phasma look – there was too much for one person to sort through on their own.

“Black...let's see,” murmured the Captain, turning and venturing to a rack two down and across from the closet's midpoint.

Phasma threw out four gowns for Rey's consideration, all of which were promptly rejected for their deep-v necklines, poufy full skirts, thigh-high slits, or else their gaudy embellishments of excessive embroidery or beading.

Huffing in frustration, Phasma instead transitioned into rooting through the accessory drawers, searching for a pair of long, black, evening gloves.

“Very traditional at formal events – it good to uphold at least one tradition in the look, if you insist on not showing off,” Phasma murmured.

“I'm not going to walk out in front of the entire Imperial Court in a dress that leaves little to the imagination,” Rey griped back, rooting through the gowns perhaps a tad more roughly than was strictly necessary. “A bit of cleavage is one thing, but I'd like to maintain some of my dignity.”

“Rey...” Phasma breathed, prompting Rey to immediately cease her searching at the softness of her tone. “You must know that's not what I meant at all. Yes, it is the convention for Imperial brides-to-be to show off, but I was more so suggesting something more showy to give you an added boost of confidence.” Her closest friend sighed.

“In all that I've taught you about Presentation, I'm afraid I've done an abysmal job of helping you find confidence in your appearance.” Rey smiled kindly.

“Phasma, I have plenty confidence in my appearance. I _know_ now that I'm beautiful. You taught me to appreciate that; you've done your job wonderfully. I used to think I'd never have quite the right body or lovely enough face without make-up to be considered beautiful. You've helped me unlearn all those negative doubts, and helped me learn to love myself instead,” Rey said, in earnest.

Phasma shed a rare, bittersweet smile.

“Do you believe you could be beautiful in such gowns?” Phasma said, nodding to the pile of revealing dresses on her vanity bench.

“Well...certainly...” Rey said, guarded, as she returned to her search. The smile Phasma cracked at her made her cheeks flare supremely in worry.

“I see what's happening here...you don't believe you can pull off being sexy...”

“ _Asteroid's lead, Phasma!_ ” Rey hissed, glancing about nervously, as if someone could hear them, when the Captain knew for a fact Kylo hadn't returned to his room all day after their spat.

“My Lady Rey,” said Phasma, with an affectionate shake of her head “if the gowns aren't what you had in mind, that's fine. But trust me when I say, with a bit of experience and faith in yourself, you'll have him ogling and drooling over you in-”

“ _Thank you_ , _Phasma_. That's enough out of you,” Rey snapped, all but diving into the rack of gowns to avoid making eye-contact.

“Oh, pardon me for burning your virgin ears!” Phasma called, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“And so what if I am?!” Rey emerged, gripping the gown that had caught her eye, its dark color easy to spot even amidst all the chaos.

“There is no 'so what,' that's perfectly fine. You'll find it in you to embrace the capacity you have – that all women have – to be sexy, in time,” Phasma said, extraordinarily kind and patient, waving at the reject pile of dresses dismissively. “No drop-dead-sexy dresses then – not until you embrace them with open arms.”

“Thank you,” Rey said, vehement, holding up her find to the light to examine it.

She turned the black, off-the-shoulder, A-line dress this way and that on its hanger. The jewels scattered in a constellation across its waist caught the light brilliantly, winking like little stars. The ribbed layers of the bodice were elegant and complex, the tulle skirt simple and not-fussy by contrast. And the sweetheart neckline and lace-up back would add just a smattering of seduction.

“This one,” Rey murmured, wonder-struck and positive. Phasma squinted at the piece, curious and intrigued.

“Throw it on,” she said, with an emboldening smile.

The satin bodice fit like a glove, and the skirt was flattering and playful without being too frumpy. Even without the whole look assembled, Rey could take one look in the mirror and know she would look amazing in the gown.

She already did.

Rey drew on the evening gown gloves as Phasma scuttled about, trying to find the perfect accessories to match the gown, settling on two inch, shiny, sturdy black heels, meant for ballroom dancing, a dripping, crystal necklace that settled in neat circle against Rey's collarbone, and a pair of glimmering, chain-and-tear-drop earrings that flashed like diamonds set aflame.

“With an elegant up-do – it'll be phenomenal!” Phasma grinned “Excellent choice, Lady Rey. I can see you'll be able to handle the fancy events on your own from now on!” she said, playfully knocking her shoulder.

“Please, no, Phasma!” Rey exclaimed in distress “Your advice is invaluable to me...can you at least promise I can consult you when it comes to outfits for grander events?” she said, giving her friend pleading, round eyes.

The veteran, Dragoon Captain sighed languidly.

“How can ever say no to a face like that, my lady?”

But the grumpy Captain was smiling.

~*~*~*~

Lunch with Kaydel was its usual affair, and Rey was sad to learn this would likely be her last lesson with the Lieutenant.

“Frankly, Rey, dinner etiquette just isn't all that complicated. Even if it was, you've been an excellent student and a fast learner. We've covered everything in my curriculum.” The savory pasta meal, with rich, succulent bites of some sort of spiced pork sausage was a delectable finale to Rey's studies with Connix. But she was still sad to see the Lieutenant go.

The bittersweet smile that Kaydel offered her over their glasses made plain that the feeling was mutual.

Following the meal, Kaydel had Rey stand, and walked her through designing a dinner layout, as she'd be expected to do as the Lady of an Imperial household whenever she hosted events, in particular, her wedding. She covered the essentials, from coordinating a color scheme, to matching the theme with the venue and the meal, to the general semantics of why a fruity soup was acceptable at most any affairs, barring funerals, and why raw fish at weddings was considered bad luck.

“I believe that's...just about everything...” said Kaydel haltingly, as she bumped into the table and righted the utensils of the test arrangement Rey had composed telekinetically.

Rey smiled sadly.

“Will I be seeing you again? Or, will your work as a Lieutenant consume your schedule?”

“Heh – likely the latter Rey, I'm afraid. I'll be around, but...I'll likely be staying aboard and going separate ways from you, once we reach Mustafar,” said Connix, her forehead pinched sorrowfully, even as she smiled.

“...Any chance that your search finally bore fruit?” Rey asked, hesitantly, though her intuition dreaded she could already sense the answer in her calm, composed friend.

Then, Kaydel's anxiety spiked in the Ethereum like she'd received a shock.

“No, my lady. I do apologize, but I was unable to discover the whereabouts of your missing parents.”

Alarm klaxons were just about going off in Rey's head. Despite the calm tone of Kaydel's voice when she said this, she nervously swept back the loose hair off her forehead that wasn't being strangled by her twin buns, her words too formal given their familiar relationship, and her eyes were open a bit too wide, appeared too paranoid.

“It's quite alright, Kaydel,” said Rey, eyes narrowed in suspicion, but quick to relax. “I know you did your best.” This time, Rey knew something was up when it was Kaydel who opened her arms to Rey first.

Regardless, their goodbye hug was warm and affectionate, and Rey treasured the friendly contact.

Then, as they pulled apart, and Kaydel moved to grasp her hands, the Lieutenant pressed something into Rey's palm – a small, rectangular, thin object – so firmly that it seemed to Rey it immediately began to imprint its outline on her palm. The urgency and conspiratorial look in Kaydel's stormy, green eyes was enough to silence any and all of Rey's questions.

“Take care of yourself. Be safe,” Connix said, quietly, an odd warning, given there seemed to be no place safer to be in the galaxy than under the Emperor's Hand's protection.

“And you as well, Lieutenant. Goodbye, and thank you for everything,” Rey said, kind and measured, though her heart was thumping furiously in her chest.

She did not open her fist until she was back in her chambers, smooshed in the back of her closet in safety.

Rey had been given a plain, blue data stick with a surprisingly large amount of storage space on it. A note was written on its back in Spark-Speak: “ _View when you're alone._ ”

Rey drew in several deep breaths, whether to keep herself from descending into panic or shrieking in elation, she wasn't sure.

This was it. It had to be. All the answers to her true parentage, what had become of them, her identity, were assuredly on this little piece of metal and plastic. Unfortunately, she'd need access to a computer to view what was on it, and there wasn't any connecting port available to her in her chambers.

For the time being, Rey would need to wait. She hid the data stick in the folds of her Duster uniform, knowing it would be safe and undisturbed there – the clothes had already been cleaned, and no one but Rey had any use for them.

But the second she got an abandoned computer to herself, Rey would learn all the secrets of who she was. She swore it, with the Ethereum's Gods as her witness.

~*~*~*~

Rey awoke the following morning to quiet knocking at her door. Rising, bleary eyed and suspicious, Rey threw her dressing robe on over her night clothes and opened her door.

A wide-eyed, pale Daisy stood on the other side, clutching a tome to her chest and trembling slightly.

“Daisy? What is-”

“A delivery from the Duke,” Daisy murmured in a hurried whisper, pressing the book into Rey's arms “I'll be back in a few minutes with breakfast. You didn't see me,” she whispered, turning swiftly on her heels and scampering away.

Rey slunk back into her suite and shut the door behind her, heart-rate accelerating. She stole into her closet to dress in an ivory, lace gown – the first her eyes alighted on – the quarter-length sleeves catching her fancy in her chilled state. The white tights she paired with the look helped warm her too.

Strapping on the white character heels, Rey sequestered herself to the hidden back corner of the closet beside her Duster clothes and slumped against the wall, examining the book on Mystic Genealogy with care.

She began to flip through it – but with little knowledge of the Children of the Stars storied history, the expansive family tree that began with the Daughter at one root and the Son on the other, and branched out for pages and pages of the thick text, was just a list of unfamiliar names, underscored by their Mystic identity, and home-planet name.

Rey flipped through it absentmindedly, disappointed and irritated that all the answers were right in front of her, but were meaningless without context.

Eventually, she stumbled upon an illustrated center-fold that caught her eye. Portraits of famous Star Children had been shrunk to fit the page's parameters and printed inside. Faces young and old, of men and women, of every color under the sun passed by under her fingers without consequence.

...Until a middle-aged woman dressed in a long, forest-green gown, with graying hair in an elegant, braided twist, and a benevolent smile made her freeze in her tracks.

She knew this woman. She knew that glimmering look in her wise brown eyes. This was the woman she'd seen in Kylo's memories.

This was his mother.

The sight of her name at the bottom of the page made her have to stifle her shocked cry – the sound emerging as a strangled squeal.

_Leia Skywalker-Organa-Solo_ , the flowing, golden script read.

Rey began rooting through the portraits lightning quick, and, just as she suspected, she stumbled upon another familiar face – the lined face, salt-and-pepper hair, and aged smirk of Kylo's absent father.

_Han Solo_ , read his portrait's caption.

No wonder Kylo had panicked when he heard Pryde was teaching her about the Great War – his parents had been _key players_ in it. Rey's brow pinched in sudden sorrow.

The only child the couple had had, a son...no wonder Pryde had seemed so distracted, he had been referring to _Kylo_.

Now that she had a direction, Rey could hardly stop herself. She tore through the tome until she found the Skywalker line.

_Anakin Skywalker, Astrae – Inferi, Tatooine_ read his label. She traced the line of lineage, heart pounding, down to twins _Luke, Gaia, Tatooine_ and _Leia_ , _Ares, Chandrila_. Their mother had been a _Padmé Amidala,_ _Dryas_ , _Naboo_ which, minimal though Rey's knowledge could be of Mystics outside the Celeste sect, she knew Dryas to be powerful, benevolent wood-nymphs, and a force to be reckoned with.

Both _Padmé_ 's and _Leia_ 's name was followed by a symbol of a tiny crown, signifying royalty. Tracing the female Skywalker twin's path back to the dotted line of her adoptive parents, it was easy to identify that they'd been Alderaanian royalty, and the title had been passed on to their daughter, regardless of the lack of common blood.

She followed the path one step further along the connected pair of _Leia_ and _Han_ _Solo_ , _Unidentified_ , _Chandrila_ , and there he was.

_Ben Solo_ , read the elegant, bronze-tinged calligraphy, looping and pretty and clean. Below the name was penned an unidentifiable smudge, and the word _Inferi?_ , followed by a question mark that had failed to be scratched out, and the planet _Chandrila_.

He was marked with a crown as well.

“Ben...” she breathed out the name, trying out the taste of it on her tongue, tentatively. But the sweetness of the sound soured in her mouth as the horrific tragedy of it all squeezed her heart.

Rey's eyes turned skyward and shut as her head tilted back against the wall.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

The pressure Kylo had felt all his life was due to his parent's status and position of power. Their absence, and his loneliness? A unjust given.

Leia had returned to the royal life and her strenuous senator duties, Han had gone back to smuggling to get away from all that.

And neither had had magick like his. His father might not even had _any._

His father – that Kylo had explicitly stated had been a pilot _and_ a smuggler and had been best friends with a _Grimalkin_.

She was such a fool.

Rey massaged her forehead, trying to calm her pinched, painful nerves.

No wonder he had not yet told her. This revelation left just as many questions as answers. Even though he been had been gaining great Mystic powers, why ship him off to his uncle? – Luke, Rey realized, with a huff of laughter, born of disbelief.

Kylo's voice – Ben's voice? – floated back to her.

“ _My Mystic powers developed in ways he did not and could not understand, and he left._ ” Leia and Han had been afraid of their own son? Rey couldn't fathom it.

She wasn't even sure if 'fear' was an accurate emotion for Leia – in Kylo's/Ben's memories, she'd just seemed worried. Really worried.

But of course, Rey only had to look back a few generations to see why. Darth Vader, the second Inferi. They'd been terrified the grandson would go the same way as his grandfather, and in the process, had induced a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Rey breath turned into a sudden sob. It was almost more tragic than her heart could bare.

Still, she hid the book under the long skirts of her fancy gowns hanging from the rack, and rose from her hidden alcove, brushing on her makeup for the day, concealing her red eyes and blotchy cheeks.

She'd thought understanding who he was would make his pain clear. She'd been right.

His pain was so obvious and overwhelming now that she was bleeding from it too.

She had to do something. Reach out to him in some way – she _must –_ Rey determined, as she rose to invite in Daisy with her breakfast on a dining cart.

For Kylo and Ben's sake, she needed to be braver than she thought possible, and offer the cold, distant man the most healing, sincere tonic she could.

Her love.


	18. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go horribly wrong at Rey's next dance lesson, leading to a vulnerable, revealing exchange between her and her fiancé.
> 
> Music for the tango lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJWjKB-bfqM
> 
> A/N: A gentle reminder that included in the sea of tags above are Attempted Rape/Non-Con and Attempted Sexual Assault.

The first warning sign was that Phasma did not show up to walk Rey to the dance lesson she was meant to be instructing herself.

The second was that an Imperial officer Rey had never met came to collect her instead.

Just a few minutes before the hour, there was a sharp knock at her door. Rey opened it to reveal a Nox with luminous, almond eyes, milkly-coffee-colored skin and dark hair, dressed in the crisp, dark gray uniform of the Empire.

“I'm here escort you to your dance lesson, Lady Rey,” she said, curt and to-the-point. Rey's brow pinched, perplexed, but she figured it wasn't too out of the ordinary.

“Very well. Thank you, officer...Pava,” Rey said, stalling until she could make out the officer's surname on her name tag. With a stiff nod, Officer Pava began to lead the way, and though Rey knew the route, she respectfully stayed a step behind her new companion.

The third warning sign was another officer – this one a Dragoon, like Phasma – wearing white quartz armor, stationed at-the-ready outside of the ballroom.

The Ethereum was practically screaming with warning in Rey's ears, but she entered anyway.

At the bottom of grand staircase stood General Hux, blue eyes already glaring orange and piercing her vision with their vicious light.

“There must be some mistake-” Rey turned, to murmur to her escort, trying not to let her panic show in case this was all some elaborate, cruel trap.

“No mistake, my lady. Captain Phasma was unable to instruct you today. She is recovering in the medical bay from an injury she received whilst running drills with the new cadets the other day. Misfire's from fire-bolt pistols can lead to rather nasty injuries.”

Rey would be willing to bet every scrap of precious jewelry she'd come to possess that she knew _exactly_ how Phasma had come to receive such an injury.

“Fear not, my lady. We have the situation well in hand, at the Captain's request,” said Officer Pava, gesturing to the room, at large.

It was now Rey noted the dozen Imperial soldiers – Golems, Dragoons and Beetles all – encased in a variety of fierce precious metal and sharp, mineral-gemstone armor, and armed to the teeth with magickal weaponry.

Rey took in a deep, deep drought of breath for courage.

Surely, in a room of so many soldiers, she would be safe for one dance with the disgusting Pyrite.

“He makes one dodgy move, you apprehend him. Do I make myself clear?” Rey said in an undertone only Pava could hear.

“Yes, my lady. Understood,” she said, nodding in deference. Kylo had been true to his word, as ever; the Imperial officers would follow her orders as they did his.

Rey turned to face Hux with murder in her eyes to match his and walked down to the dance floor with her head held high. Her curtsy to the General was as sarcastic as she could make it, his bow terribly stiff and abrupt.

“Afternoon, Lady Rey,” Hux said, a definite snarl hidden behind his polite words.

“Afternoon, General,” Rey said, rising to her feet. Hux tossed his head up, smoothing a gloved hand over his coiffed hair.

“I'm been instructed to briefly substitute for the Captain, and review the tango with you. I trust you've heard about the unfortunate, incapacitating accident that occurred during her training instruction the other day?”

“Only just a moment ago, General,” she said, teeth gritted hard enough to hurt.

“Hmm. Pity. Well, let's not waste precious time. Come along and let's get this over with,” he griped, and Rey, as stiffly and with as much vitriol in her gaze as possible, assumed her dance posture, while the servant played the fierce, intimate tango instrumental from Wednesday's lesson.

Hux and her began to sharply and precisely carve out patterns on the floor – the routine's sharp looks and quick turns swiftly returning to her muscle-memory. She avoided his eyes as much as she could. Rey had no desire to even fake the longing tempest the tango required; Rey still had her dignity. She calmed after Hux lead her through a bit of tricky footwork, dips, and spins under his arm, successfully. Mayhaps, everything would be okay after all. She could have done without Hux's and her hips being practically aligned at times, but it mattered little. Those moments were few and far between, and passed quickly.

The routine grew in fervor and complexity as the recorded string orchestra grew more intense. Hux began to lead her through increasingly whippy and fast footwork, complex turns and spins, abrupt snaps and looks, and even challenging lifts that required Rey to really steel herself to trust Hux more than she would have believed possible.

At any given moment, he need only let go of her waist and she'd tumble to the floor, maybe even break a rib. Fortunately, he was never so bold as to attempt to lift her above his waist. She doubted he would've had the strength to anyway.

Gods, she hated his touch. His hand on her waist, fingers digging into her side made her wish she was half as good at fire magick as her fiancé was, if only to burn the bastard and make him release her.

All the same, he did his job. Even though Rey hated every second, he never tried to harm her, or let his hands drift disgustingly low. But then, nearly at the routine's end...Hux leaned down as he lead her through a difficult, deep dip, her legs nearly in a split, and took a deep breath.

Rey's skin crawled. He was _smelling_ her.

“Something seems...different about you today, my lady,” Hux murmured when he rose again, fiery eyes still glaring. Rey didn't dignify his words with a response, simply kept looking dully over his shoulder into neutral space.

“You strike me as a great deal more confident. More lady-like, one might say,” he said, halfway between a whisper and a snarl.

“I'd suggest getting to the damned point, General. My patience is running thin,” Rey warned, voice low and dangerous just as Rose had taught her.

But Hux' miniature grin only grew and stretched into a substantial one.

“So...feisty...You know, my lady, I'm afraid I might have misjudged you. Your persistence and stubbornness is quite...alluring and intriguing, when viewed in a different light. I quite like your fire, Lady Rey...” Hux breathed in her ear as they finished their dance with a dramatic flourish.

Rey couldn't rip her hand from his grasp fast enough, but his hand on her waist hardened into iron.

“Get your _damned_ hands off me – you, sick, bastard-!”

“Alright, that's enough,” Hux said, voice incredibly calm.

...Then he whipped her around, vice-like grip on her forearm, locking her back against chest as he snatched his fire-bolt pistol from his belt and pressed the muzzle against her temple.

“One move out of any of you and you'll be mopping her brains off the floor!” Hux yelled, voice hard and echoing as he backed against the far wall, all the Imperial soldiers and Pava kept squarely in front of him.

Rey's heart was pounding, her breath came in gasps, and the adrenaline coursed through her veins with nowhere to go. Try as she might to shake Hux off, the pistol only pressed into her temple harder.

“No more moving, sweetheart. Not a twitch, you hear me?” Hux murmured in her ear, his wicked smile audible. “Consider this fair payment for _all_ the clothes your stupid rodent tore up and drooled on.”

He wrapped his leg around her hip, keeping her locked against him so that his left hand could move freely. It traced her collarbone and began to drift downward, groping her breasts shamelessly on its way to its horrific final destination.

Rey screamed in horror and indignation, fighting again, and she could hear the creak of Hux' gun as he squeezed the trigger harder.

“It makes little difference to me whether you're on the floor, spent from your orgasm, or shot and bleeding out, Duster. I'd advise you not to wiggle anymore, if you'd like to choose the less painful, less permanent route.”

Rey wasn't sure when it had happened, but against her will, her cheeks had become tear stained. His hands only strayed further, her body reacting with violent jerks of disgust every other moment. His gloved appendages got past the lace and the skirts many layers, and began trying to yank down the tights that were taut around her skin.

“I wonder if Kylo chose a virgin as his bride...” Hux murmured, speculative, something hard poking Rey in the back, causing her to bite back a shriek of terror. “Stars, I hope he did...I can just _imagine_ the look on his face when he finds out I ruined you for him...” he chuckled, tone delirious, his words enough to make her stomach roil, but unfortunately not enough to make her spontaneously vomit and throw him off guard.

He had her tights nearly around her knees now, fingers tracing her pubic bone, leather gloves starting to slide beneath her panties.

She had to do something. She had to do something _now_. Her mind raced and snatched the solution from thin air.

Her hands were locked behind her back – but there was no better place for them to be.

Her wrist twitched, and her starlight quarterstaff burst into existence, extending like a baton with wicked force behind it, simultaneously knocking Hux' fire-bolt pistol from his grip, and breaking his nose on the path up.

Rey didn't even wait to hear his scream of pain, she felt the spurt of warm blood on her back and that was all the signal she needed. She spun about, nailing him brutally in the back of the head, turned tail and bolted.

The soldiers converged on Hux in the blink of an eye as she tugged her tights back up around her hips and sprinted from the room.

She wasn't about to stop to see what became of him, adrenaline making her pump her legs faster than she would have believed possible. She didn't stop running until she'd made it back to her suite.

With terrified tears still streaming down her face, she unlocked the door and charged inside, her starlight staff still in hand.

Her heart just about froze solid.

She'd picked the wrong door.

Just in front of her was her fiancé, vaguely silhouetted by the faint starlight coming in from his curtained windows, standing with his back to her, dark locks free and flowing to his shoulders.

She felt his anger skyrocket in the Ethereum and she could do little more than brace for impact.

~*~*~*~

“ _ **OUT!!!**_ ” he roared like a man possessed, whipping around to face her, shadows spiking and whirling and charging at his command. Rey screamed, gripping her staff, white-knuckled in defense, unable to run out the door that had shut tight behind her.

The shadows that leapt from the corners and the floorboards and the ceiling and from beneath the bed to strike her never made their mark.

When the anticipated blow didn't come, Rey opened her eyes to see the shadows had not even made it halfway across the room. They retreated, as rapidly as they had emerged.

A million thoughts flitted through Rey's mind in rapid succession.

She saw herself sprinting from the room to her suite. She ripped her Duster clothes from their hanger, tucked BeeBee under her arm and bolted. She bolted down the conference room hallway, careened into the door of the nearest staircase. She flew down the stairs, nearly falling a number of times in her haste. She ran down the lower level's hallways, banging off the walls. She threw herself around the corner into the white-walled officer's quarters. She slid to a stop at the escape pod bay. She unlocked the doors and threw herself inside, frantically typing in the coordinates for the Inner Rim and jettisoning herself into space, with the intention of going somewhere, anywhere.

Anywhere that wasn't here, on this prison of a ship, with her betrothed captor and the Court's hungry, lecherous eyes and the Imperial soldier who'd tried to _rape_ her.

But his presence in the Ethereum froze her in place.

Kylo's horror – his shear, abject horror and fear for her life – was like a bucket of cold water. It certainly stayed the hand that shot towards the bio-scanner and the locked door betwixt her and freedom.

Rey looked up.

To her surprise she saw, in the half-light, not reflective, supernatural onyx eyes, glinting from behind green glass, but common-place hazel eyes, with irises, whites, and pupils, wide with terror for her.

“Who?” Kylo breathed, voice choked by his anger – his normal, low-timbred, gentle, non-modulated voice. Rey could barely breath, so harsh became her sobs.

“ _Hux,_ ” she eventually choked out, her knees beginning to give as her adrenaline fled and her strength left her. She dropped to the floor, to her knees, her staff _popping_ out of existence as it hit the ground.

The tears flowed and she made no effort to stop them. Her soul bled and wept at this violation of basic, decent treatment for one's fellow Mystic. She felt so disgusted and used and gross and sick. She could easily lose her voice with the strength and broken howl of her sobs.

When she bent down to rest her head on the floor and lie prone, her skull came into contact, not with cold, unforgiving tile, but warm, comforting flesh.

She hadn't noticed in her grief, but he'd moved right next her. He'd let her set her head in his lap.

She met Kylo's hazel eyes in the shadowy room, vision too bleary with tears to see him clearly. But she didn't care anymore. She didn't even have the room to care that he wasn't magickally creating the helmet to hide himself anymore.

She just felt so horrible, so _broken_ that there wasn't room for anything else.

But a glance at those hazel eyes told her he was hurting right along with her – his presence in the Ethereum apologizing with such vehemence and swearing justice by every solitary God he knew – that her chest stuttered with sobs all over again and threw herself into his arms.

Rey had no idea how much time passed like this, sitting on the floor wrapped around each other, drenching his fancy black shirt with her tears and snot, but he made no comment.

 _Shirt be damned_... she thought she heard him gently say inside her mind, but she could have imagined it.

She just gripped him tighter, held him and let herself be held as she cried until her sobs were retching, until her eyes hurt, until her voice turned hoarse.

He rubbed little circles on the small of her back, sent calming, protective reassurances her way in the Ethereum to accompany his unholy rage and the promise of vengeance.

“Never again,” he swore in a deadly undertone. “ _Never again._ ”

 _He'll never lay a hand on you again. He'll never even_ see _you again. By all the Gods, I'll send him to the Thirteenth level of Hell myself to keep you safe and sound._

Eventually, Rey's tears somehow dried up. Her soul still ached to its very core, but she'd lost her fervor enough for the crying to cease. Kylo held her still, held her until she lifted her head from his shoulder and met his eyes in the darkness.

“I'll be back in just a moment, Rey. I need to make sure they've dealt with him properly,” said Kylo rising to his feet and stalking over to his desk, where he ripped off his gloves and picked up a communication tablet, which he rapidly typed into, waiting brief stretches of time before typing again. Finally, his shadowy head bobbed in space with a nod and he set down the Uni-Screen piece of tech.

“They have him in solitary confinement and under maximum security, 24-hour guard. Snoke be damned. I'll execute him for this,” he said, returning to her side and instantly scooping her up in his arms when she reached for him. She sat, practically cradled in his lap, warm and secure, in spite of everything.

“Officer Pava tells me you fought him off,” Kylo said, a noncommittal sort of comment, almost as if he'd spoken without meaning too. Rey nodded, cheek pressed into his shoulder.

“I wasn't going to let him touch me,” she said with gritted teeth, a disgusted shudder running through her, prompting Kylo to squeeze her shoulders tighter.

“Did he happen to mention why...?” he asked, realizing before he'd finished speaking that he shouldn't be asking questions just now.

“Something about revenge,” Rey said, exhausted. “And... _ruining_ me...”

The torrent of tears was going to start all over again, she could feel it building painfully in her temples.

“He could _never_ ruin you, Rey. No matter what he did or tried to do to you, you are a whole, worthy Mystic. My darling, believe me, you have a worth he could never tarnish – because it's _you._ ” He had cupped her cheek in his gentle, warm palm, and a feeling of being safe, of being loved swept through Rey's body.

“...And you're...stars, there aren't words enough to describe how wonderful you are...”

As her eyes adjusted to the light, Rey caught bit and pieces, snatches of truth in the darkness. A strong brow. A sharp jaw. A soft chin. And his dark, curling, shoulder-length locks.

But the features refused to convalesce into a clear picture.

And now that she was this close, with his thumb lovingly rubbing her cheek...

“May I see you? Truly, as you are?” she murmured, waiting patiently, breathing deep and hopeful. He didn't answer, but he didn't still his tender caresses either.

...Eventually, she saw him nod.

Awed, pulse picking up with anticipation, Rey sat up in his hold and summoned a little glimmering orb of soft, white light in her grip.

The bits and pieces came together to form a rather handsome, strong featured face.

His skin was pale and light, like his hands had suggested it would be. Moles dotted his complexion here and there. His strong cheekbones, rounded chin and small forehead made for an attractive face-shape. He was younger than she had guessed, maybe only five years her senior. His aquiline nose was sharp and striking, and between his stern brow and numerous other angles, he very much gave the impression of a statue of an Ethereal God, chiseled from marble by expert artisan hands. He had a pale scar that ran from near the top of his forehead diagonally to near the bottom of his opposite cheek, but it was faint and did nothing to detract from the overall allure. His lips were lovely, pink and full, slightly parted with uncertainty and his deep breaths.

She excitedly imagined how soft they'd feel against her own...

His locks were disorganized, but looked so soft and gently rumpled, she was compelled to reach out and run her fingers through them, stroking his cheek with her thumb in the process, tender and uncertain. She could feel he had rather large, round ears under her fingers, and noted how his breath caught and his Adam's apple bobbed in his muscular neck as she touched him experimentally.

And his eyes. There was such _warmth_ to those hazel orbs, with sprigs of gold and green and bronze and deep, earth-toned brown. They did a great deal to soften the harsher lines of his face and give the total appearance a gentler, sweet-but-strong look.

Stars, he was attractive as hell.

The smile she gave him following her thorough examination was completely natural and made a tiny, nervous one curl his lips too.

“You're younger than I expected,” she murmured. He chuckled, the natural, huffing, goofy sound delightful to her ears.

“I imagine my helmet's voice-modulation might have contributed to that.”

“Probably,” she said, giggling too.

His smile stretched to his eyes, crinkling the corners familiarly, and her heart lightened.

“And...your eyes?”

“A trick of the light caused by the visor's material. Also helpful in combat, since it conceals even my glowing eyes from view, when I wield magick. Sorry to disappoint you – my eyes aren't _actually_ coals from the Thirteenth Hell,” he said, his chuckle broken and painfully nervous.

“Kylo, your natural eyes are _beautiful_...” Rey breathed, her other hand reaching up to brush his cheekbones lovingly too.

He laughed, skeptically.

“No, _really_.” Rey insisted softly “You're gorgeous...”

She bit her lip in panic.

“I said that out-loud, didn't I?”

“Yes, you did, my lady,” Kylo said, cheeks turning bright red under her palms. She fell into a fit of giggles, forehead resting on his shoulder and he chuckled with her, a lovely, low sound that reverberated in his chest.

“Well, thank you, for the generous compliment...” he mumbled, gently rubbing her shoulder, as if to gently rid her body of embarrassment with each stroke. She grinned sheepishly against his shoulder.

“You say that as if you thought I'd be disappointed...”

“...Well...when compared to a great beauty like you...there really is no contest...”

Rey lifted her head and shot him a sarcastic smile. But she wasn't prepared for how earnest and sweet those warm, hazel eyes could get. Her heart _thumped_ hard against her rib cage and she blushed.

“Agree to disagree, but...thank you,” she whispered, shyly. Sensing her reservation, Kylo's arms dropped from her shoulders. She rose from the floor, feeling silly and warm and full – especially considering her distress from a few minutes prior.

“Is there anything I can do for you, Rey? Do I need to call for a medic – you...you aren't hurt are you?” he asked, brows lifting in concern in the half-light she still held.

“No! No, I'm alright, thank the Gods,” she said, hugging her elbows, uncertain, as her orb of light bobbed between them. “We were...normally supposed to have a lesson around this time...”

“I wouldn't dream of trying to teach you anything now,” he said, in earnest. “But, by all means you're welcome to stay-”

“Yes. Please. I don't want to be alone right now,” she murmured, swallowing hard. Kylo nodded in understanding, taking in a shaky breath. “Can...can we talk?” Rey said, meeting his eyes.

“Certainly. What about, my lady?” he said, ever polite and courteous.

She grimaced, not wanting to shatter the sweet gentility of the moment, the fragile trust they'd just forged.

“About you. About the past. About all of it,” she breathed, praying he could see her need for explanation, for truth, in her eyes.

Kylo sighed, brow creasing with lines of worry, his fingers rising to massage the bridge of his nose.

“...Would it be alright if I don't answer your every question? Just the ones I'm comfortable with?” he asked after a long, quiet moment.

Rey nodded.

“Very well. We can talk.”

“Is is alright if I call for tea?” Rey requested kindly. This brought a smile to his plush lips, if a crooked one.

She was finally able to see him _smile_.

“Yes, of course you can.”

~*~*~*~

His suite looked entirely different with the lights turned on and the curtains pulled back. For one thing, it looked a bit smaller when the room's edges didn't recede into shadow. For another, it was a bit more welcoming, still elegant and sophisticatedly simple, but not as somber.

Daisy brought tea, sandwiches, and cakes to them on a cart, and Rey answered the door, hoping to discourage Kylo from hiding behind his helm again.

However, when she turned, the dark, hulking piece of armor was back in place, and her heart sunk.

“Thank you, Daisy. That will be all,” he said, voice infrasonic once more. Daisy curtsied and departed. The moment the door was shut again, however, the dark helm burst into a flood of ash and receded, the fragments rejoining their master at his shoulders and arms, as Rey noted his eyes turned fiery when his powers were in use, much like a Pyrite's. Unlike the Inferi's flame-kin though, when in fervent use, his entire body turned pitch-black with his magicks, and radiated with darkly glowing, ashen, shadow-energy.

He set the loveseat and his desk chair at the sizable cart's opposite ends and invited her to sit with him.

“You needn't look so worried, my lady – I'm not going to hide my face from you anymore, not when we're alone,” Kylo said, as usual, picking up on her thoughts with pin-point accuracy.

Rey relaxed at his words – even if they weren't a formal promise, her intuition knew it was sincere.

“Good, I'm glad.”

“...Especially not when you seem to like it so much...”

Rey scoffed in indignation, and had half a mind to toss the cup of tea he'd poured her right back in his face – it's not as if the liquid would burn him, after all. It was hard to stay mad at him, though, when he laughed loud and full and beautifully like that.

“But Kylo...why do you hide to begin with?” she asked, bewildered, returning to their promised topic of conversation. Kylo sighed, smoothing back his hair compulsively.

“It began as a way to help shape my new identity. I looked...young and innocent back when I met my sire, I suppose, and the mask was there to help me look more intimidating.” Rey's brow crinkled in sad understanding.

“...After a time, however, I just wore it always and never took it off. The mask is Kylo's face...this one...” He gestured vaguely at himself, and his meandering voice puttered to a stop.

“I understand your meaning, Kylo,” she said kindly, part-taking in the food, as she was genuinely starting to get peckish.

She wondered about what else she wanted to ask, how to phrase her request for answers, for his story. She must have been musing rather loudly, because he met her eyes wearily, his suspicion and discomfort obvious in the Ethereum.

“I don't understand, my lady. After all your fervence of wanting to know who I was, and your questions...you don't wish to know my birth name?”

Rey felt her face turn red with guilt, and she set down the bite of the ham and cheese sandwich she'd been holding.

“I already know it.” Kylo's brows shot up his forehead, eyes a mixture of panic, fear, and surprise.

“I looked into one of Duke Pryde's books on Mystic genealogy. I might not have known your mother's name, but I saw her face in your memories, and there was a collection of portraits within of her and your father at nearly the age I saw them at. From there, it was simple enough to hunt down what I was looking for...”

“I see. Clever and persistent, as always...” Kylo muttered, eyes down-cast, despite the compliment.

“You...aren't mad?”

“No, my lady. I can see now I was bit too cagey with some things when I should have been more forthcoming.”

“I – I wouldn't have refused your proposal without knowing your name, Ky-” Rey took a deep breath, seizing her courage in both hands “Ben,” she corrected, and his eyes turned round and vulnerable with his surprise.

“Really, my only grievance was with your mask. The search for your name and the desire to learn more about you was just my...stubborn, personal curiosity...” she puttered to a stop, idly fingering the handle of her teacup.

There was a slight pause.

“...But...why?” he asked, so unsure and perplexed. She met his eyes, gently.

“I wanted to get to know your story, no different than you wished to know mine...” she murmured, a bit shy in her honesty, but undeterred.

The slightest bit of pink dusted Kylo's cheeks and her heart _swooned_.

“In that case, I'll tell you it, but...there's really not much else to share that you don't already know,” Kylo said, palms securely planted on the table, speaking stiffly and frankly at first, but getting lost in the raw memories the longer he spoke.

“I was born the son of a princess and a war hero. I had great magickal potential from an early age – that neither of my parents seemed to understand or know how to assist with. I was sent to train with my uncle in my teens in the hope of reigning them in. I felt trapped by the pressure to live up to the family legacy, their desire that I...live up to their expectations, become this person I knew I was – _incapable_ of becoming...

“And then...Snoke reached out to me. He listened when no one else did. He became...almost like a father to me. I found a place of belonging in his tutelage, a comfortable purpose based on my own strengths and limitations. There was nothing – preconceived or planned, just, working on improving my magick and becoming a better fighter and building on what I already knew. It...wasn't really home in the traditional sense...but it was all I had...”

It was clear from the choked sound of his voice he was trying to hold back tears. Rey instantly reached across to table to rest her hand on his and comfort him.

“I'm sorry growing up the way you did was so hard for you. I wish it could've gone differently,” she hummed, her thumb rubbing soothing patterns on the back of his hand.

He sniffed, turning his eyes to the ceiling and trying to blink back the glimmer of his tears.

“I do too. If my _damned_ parents could've only pulled their heads out of their asses for one second, they might've seen how much I needed them-” his voice broke, and he buried his face in his free hand. “ _Fuck_ , I'm sorry.”

Rey released him and circled the table, scooching in next to him so she could occupy the loveseat with him and hold him as he let the tears fall freely.

“...I'm going to ruin your dress,” he mumbled against the lace on her shoulder.

“Ben – I give as much of a damn about my clothes as you do yours,” Rey breathed, and the use of his birth name brought on a fresh wave of tears, twice as fervent and raw. She simply rubbed his shoulders and held him close until he'd sobbed out all of his years and years of pent up grief.

He lifted his head from her shoulder several long minutes later, rubbing at his bleary eyes. The damp patch he left behind on the lace dried quickly of its own accord.

“Nine Heavens...I thought after all this time I'd gotten over it...” he said, voice hiccupping somewhat. He took a sip of his tea to help still his diaphragm.

“No, Ben. You've been _repressing_ your feelings all this time – denying that it hurt to leave, that it hurt to lose. You clearly cared about your family and they cared about you and it's okay to be furious with them over what happened. But you should let yourself feel sad about it too,” Rey said, reaching up to stroke his cheek with her thumb. He leaned into her touch and she melted, in spite of the solemnity of the moment.

“...You have an uncanny ability of knowing exactly what to say, Lady Rey,” he whispered, meeting her eyes with a watery smile.

“Blame it on my Duster luck, Ben – Stars, I'm sorry, I've been calling you that without even asking. Is it alright if I call you Ben?”

His brow furrowed heavily, the weight of the years of pain and loneliness and darkness visible in that one look.

“I'm still not very fond of that name. It brings up many unpleasant memories, and yet...I don't mind the sound of it so much when you say it...” he said, his whisper a wonder-struck, tender thing. He cleared his throat, helping settle the rawness.

“For now, I'd prefer Kylo, my lady.”

“Okay. I understand,” she whispered, dropping her hand only for it to land on his. After a slight hesitation, she wrapped her fingers around his, the sensation delightful and warm.

“Every now and again, I'm going to ask that you share something with me, a difficult memory or two, so you can begin to experience and work through your feelings in full. I don't want you to be so hurt and stuck in the past anymore. I want to help you, sweetheart,” Rey murmured, the affectionate pet-name flying from her lips before she had any hope of stopping it.

She bit her lip anxiously, but Kylo only blushed and nodded in understanding.

“Very well, my lady. In the interest of helping settle my pain, I will.”

His gaze turned sweet and naked as he gazed at their clutched hands, thumb rubbing her knuckles softly.

“Thank you. For wanting to help me,” he said, throat a bit tight again. She smiled at him kindly too.

“That's what people do when they care for one another – they support each other through any hardship.”

Kylo's little gasp of wonder and joy meant everything to her.

“Besides, it's only fair; I cried on your shoulder, you can cry on mine.” He laughed, jubilant and full-bellied, gazing at her like there was nothing more precious.

“Stars, I haven't the words to explain how I grateful I am to have you,” turning bright red as he realized what he'd said. She grinned, warm and a bit cheeky.

“The occasional anecdote about your childhood will suffice.”

Kylo bit his lower lip, combing through his memories carefully.

“Once I stole my father's spaceship and attempted to break his all-time record for flying the Kessel Run in the shortest possible distance,” he exclaimed, eyes glinting, quite boyish and handsome.

“Oh, this I _must_ hear!” Rey said, rising from the loveseat eagerly and returning to the table's opposite side.

They talked so long they called for dinner, and let BeeBee into the room since he was scratching at the door, fed him, and let him run amok. Then they talked even longer still. Late into the night, they traded anecdotes about their childhoods – about school subjects and dreadful teachers and bold adventures and childhood friends and discovering their magicks and piloting ships and declaring their Mystic paths – all sorts of tiny life experiences that had shaped who they turned out to be.

They avoided any sensitive nerves for the most part, but Kylo did share the occasional tale where he mentioned his mother's concern regarding his abilities or his father's absence and he would tear up. In turn, Rey would share something sad and vulnerable – the story of the night her parent's disappeared, searches for them in the desert gone wrong, bittersweet tales of bonding with her brother and guardians all the more since they were her last remaining family, things of that nature.

It was nearly four o'clock in the morning by the time they'd run out of things to share. The lights had dimmed of their own accord the later the hour grew, and they'd sat, then reclined, then laid on Kylo's bed, a respectful distance apart. Now however, Rey had to retire to her room, or accept that she would fall asleep in his bed because she could not, for the life of her, keep her eyes open a moment longer.

“I have to go, Kylo,” she slurred, sitting up groggily. “I'm exhausted.” Her fiance hummed in acknowledgment, but didn't open his eyes.

He looked so ridiculously cute, lying there, half-asleep, haloed by his handsome dark hair, that she couldn't just leave him without a proper goodnight.

She bit her lip and shuffled closer to him, settling an arm gently about him. He hummed again, pleasant and low, but he didn't move to embrace her arm. Perfect.

“Goodnight, Kylo,” Rey whispered, and with her heart in her throat, she leaned down and brushed a kiss against his cheek.

She came away from him, feeling warm and shy, even if the gesture had been very modest and friendly, and there'd been nothing remarkable about the swath of skin she'd touched with her lips. Kylo gave no surprised reaction or sudden move, so Rey hoped he was asleep.

She scooted off the bed and padded back to her room, turning to look at him one last time, smiling at the Mystic she loved. With a mirthful smile on her face, she shut the door between their suites, neglecting to lock it.

It wasn't so much that Rey was hoping he might intrude. It was more so that she absolutely trusted he wouldn't. It was silly to think he wouldn't respect her privacy at this point.

Rey collapsed on her bed after she shucked on her nightgown, leaving her day-dress abandoned on her closet floor. She was asleep before head hit the pillow, her night filled with pleasant dreams that embraced her with open arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3
> 
> I have some illustrations to accompany this fic! If you'd like to see them, check out the pinned tweet here: https://twitter.com/The28thAurora
> 
> A new drawing just went up to accompany this chapter. :)


	19. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Rey, time seems to go at ever-faster, nerve-wracking rate. Suddenly, the day of the Engagement Ball arrives.
> 
> Music for dance lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwjxlGAvjK8

The days until the Engagement Ball passed by with lightning speed. Most of Rey's lessons no longer took place that week, as her tutors were too preoccupied preparing for the arrival of the Imperial Court and attending to their usual duties. The whole ship was abuzz. The servants scurried about preparing suites for the guests' stay, cleaning, decorating, and generally making _The Desiderata_ shine. The kitchens were filled with frantic activity (according to Daisy) as they worked up to cooking the Ball's dinner. Rey ultimately decided to sequester herself to her suite for most of her time to avoid the hubbub, and the possibility of running into strange or spiteful Nightmare nobility before the big day.

Her lessons with Rose were the only ones that went on, undisturbed.

“Only a few days left now, my lady. In short order, you'll be considered an official Lady of the Court,” Madame Tico said, with an easy smile, proud but not over indulgent.

“Nine Heavens – is shortness of breath to be expected at this time?” Rey said, anxiously. Rose's smile turned sympathetic.

“Quite, my lady. A very usual habit – fear not. You've taken to every lesson I taught you, and I've been told by your other tutors that they are quite satisfied with your work as well.”

“Heh – still, Madame Rose – an official presentation and being welcomed into the ranks of the Nightmare royalty I've heard ghost stories about since I was a child...it's almost too much,” Rey said, leaning against the smallest ballroom's wall for support.

“Lady Rey – please take deep breaths. For our last lesson this week, I will run a final review with you for the Ball. Think of it as mock-ball, in preparation for the true event. Then, you need only run through the motions of what you've already learned and rehearsed. I know you have it in you to truly be a Lady of the Court,” Rose said, and for as kind and sincere as her words were, Rey found she still had to sit down and breathe in huge gulps of air.

“I can see something of an unconventional lesson is needed...” murmured Rose, tapping her chin with her smoldering fingers in thought. Rey's laugh was stuttering and nervous.

“Forgive me, Madame, but I doubt you have anything that can help with this...” Rey said, now well and truly hyper-ventilating from stress. Rose pulled up a chair across from her and purposefully drew Rey's hands into her lap, gripping them with a firm, steady pressure.

“Close your eyes and breathe, my lady. Simply breathe,” Rose murmured, and though meditation was the last thing Rey thought she needed just now, she obeyed.

“Focus on the movement of your breath through your body. Embrace the motion of your air and your life-force in the Ethereum and accept it as truth.”

Rey reflected on Rose's words, and when she'd truly processed them and believed them, she nodded in assent.

“You have put in the hard work, the time, the practice, my lady. You have proven your patience and persistence a hundred times over to everyone you have encountered on this ship. Why is that?” Rose said, pausing dramatically to let Rey muse over the unexpected question. “It is no accident, my lady. You have given your commitment to the task of preparing for this Ball, because that persistence is in your very nature – a key component of your soul. Embrace that determination, recognize all that it has done for you.”

Rey's mind flitted through all the difficult moments her thick-head had gotten her through – the gradual lightening of Kylo's restrictions on her, finding a place of belonging aboard the ship, making several good friends, gaining her freedom from her binding deal, securing BeeBee as a traveling companion, and a finding man worthy of her love and worth loving.

A radiant smile was quick to grace her lips.

“See that determined piece of your soul and show gratitude and love towards it now.”

Rey did, smile growing broader with warmth, relief, and joy. In spite of everything, she had gotten here because of herself – her hope, her belief, her stubbornness. That strength was worth treasuring.

“Do you feel that love, my lady?”

“Yes, Madame Rose.”

“Then let it lift you up, empower you, enfold you. Because you are expressing love to your worthy, whole, unique self. And no matter what occurs at the Ball, that is a love, and a strength, that cannot be changed or taken from you.”

Rose's words were like a balm to her soul, filling her with peace and a sense of unshakable security. Rey didn't even realize the exercise had done wonders to slow her breathing until Rose asked her to open her eyes.

“Loving the self, and recognizing your strengths – that is the purpose of this exercise,” Rose explained gently. Rey nodded in understanding.

“I see that now. Thank you, Madame Rose,” she said, her smile soft and genuine.

“We will do two more lessons on this matter in the coming days, my lady. Strengthening the soul can do wonders for calming the mind for the future ahead of you.”

Rey had to agree with her tutor on that score.

~*~*~*~

In the midst of her fewer lessons and avoiding court royalty, Phasma was released from the med-bay, fully recovered.

“So, who shot you?” Rey asked, without ceremony upon seeing her friend back on duty again.

“The bastard who's currently behind bars,” snarled Phasma, quick to embrace Rey tightly and to offer her sincerest condolences for the horror she'd had to experience. “He didn't even have the courtesy to be on the training room floor to do it. He took aim from an overhead viewing gallery, the bloody coward.”

After long talks about Hux' fate and what had happened between Kylo and herself while Phasma was recovering, Phasma's experimentation finally lead to her settling on makeup look to accompany Rey's engagement dress – smooth, rosy complexion, white eye-liner, dark lashes, smoky, silver eye-shadow, and dark red lips.

“Striking, but not too jarringly colorful,” Phasma nodded in satisfaction.

“Brilliant, now could you help me wipe it off? I'm going to be late for dance lessons,” Rey said, taking a jab at her companion. Phasma let out a drawn out, exaggerated groan.

“Stars, is that even important anymore?” the Dragoon said, scrubbing at Rey's face with makeup wipes to simplify the look for day-wear again.

“Yes, dance lessons are important, Phasma! I'm still _abysmal_ at the tango – and I'll have to dance it with Kylo in front of the Imperial court in _three days!_ ”

“Fortunately, I've thought of a solution for that,” Phasma said, her eyebrows raising scandalously as she winked at her friend and donned her chrome helmet.

“Why do I get the feeling you've done something dreadful?” Rey muttered in worry as the Captain escorted her to the grand ballroom, the hallways fortunately Mystic-free at the moment.

The titanic dance hall had been outfitted with fresh fluorescents in every sconce, the chandelier sparkling like never before. The red drapes had been exchanged for a sweeter mauve and parted, revealing chinks of space, passing by at a snail's pace beyond.

But the neither the decorum of the gorgeous rose, carnation, and baby's breath flower arrangements in red and white, wrapping and tumbling down the banisters, nor the gleam of every quartz-like surface polished to a shine grabbed her focus quite like the sight of her fiancé waiting for her in the center of the room.

“Enjoy your lesson,” said Phasma, her grin so blatant in her voice it should have been illegal, as the Dragoon swiftly shut the doors behind her.

Rey couldn't have helped the blush that rose to flush her face anymore than she could help the sweet smile as she turned to face his Lordship again, finding he'd removed his helmet.

He paced to the foot of the stairs, a crooked, half-certain smile curling his lips charmingly.

“It was the Captain's suggestion that you rehearse with me today, my lady – to help with your nerves,” he said, low voice carrying beautifully with aid of the room's impeccable acoustics. He lifted his hand towards her in invitation, as he would no doubt do in three days time to welcome her and invite her to the ballroom floor.

Rey took in a little nervous, happy breath, and, settling her hand demurely on the ballroom's banister, she took her time practicing her steady, regal, dramatic walk to the bottom. Her hand slid into his easily upon reaching him, fingers brushing over his smooth skin, his leather gloves oddly absent, and his leather-armor styled clothing paired down as well, to a formal, light-weight dark coat, cloak, breeches and boots.

She forced back every deliriously happy thought that labeled the sight as 'prince,' or worse, ' _my_ prince,' and bit down on her tongue to help. She needed to focus!

Kylo led her by her hand to the center of the floor, settling gently into a dance posture. Her heart gave a giddy stutter when his hand came to rest softly on her waist.

“I believe you said you were having particular trouble with the tango, my lady?” Kylo said, hazel gaze patient and sympathetic. Rey sighed begrudgingly.

“As much as I dread making mistakes and stepping on your toes, Kylo, yes – that is the dance I need the most work on. Still.”

Kylo tossed his hand, and the shadows in the room's corner sprang up to drop the needle of the music-player for him.

“Well, let's see what we can do to help you. And you're more than welcome to step on my toes, my lady,” Rey sputtered with laughter “I won't take it personally,” he concluded, echoing her jovial chuckle.

The music that struck up was the not the tango orchestral piece Rey had been accustomed to practicing with. This one was faster paced, but a great deal more cheeky and fun. Both Inferi and Duster straightened compulsively and began to run the gambit.

Against her every expectation, Rey kept time and moved with her partner rather well. She remembered when fancy, whippy footwork sections occurred, when she spun, when to dart her head to the side to evoke envy or passion – all the little bits and pieces she'd been struggling with seemed to suddenly come together in a clear picture.

Plus, when the dance afforded the opportunity, she could gaze into Kylo's eyes unabashedly, familiarizing herself more with his golden, chestnut irises she was starting to adore so completely. The prolonged look seem to subtly turn up the corners of his mouth, but Rey couldn't quite be sure in the moments when she was enchanted by his warm, genial gaze, smiling shyly herself.

The real moment of real trust however, came when Kylo lead her through the first, deep, dramatic dip, her back nearly parallel with the floor. His strong hands supported her spine steadily, and she rose quickly and the routine continued without incident. But it was more than the move simply going right. It was that she'd felt completely safe, completely comfortable while being held in his arms. She was filled with a jubilant kind of happiness at the realization – he would catch her and hold her up and carry her through.

He was quite her match and her equal as a dance partner and she could _feel_ it.

They began to move in true reflective tandem, their movements sharp, close, and precise. Where the tango's intimacy and sexual energy had been nauseating and obscene with Hux, with Kylo it felt like a game, a playful challenge, a test of skill and a familiar, tender closeness that was quick to heat her up. Kylo hoisted her up by her waist and carried her through an elegant lift, and a smile turned up her mouth. Back on the ground, they spun and twirled like whirling dervishes, stopping suddenly, only to carry out dramatic, sharp footwork and execute another passionate lift, this one much closer to the ground. Nearly nose to nose, Kylo met her gaze, a brilliant smile to crossing his lips and quite taking her breath away.

On a whim, Kylo began leading her proper, modifying the routine subtly, throwing Rey off-guard.

“Kylo, what are you doing?”

“Do you trust me?”

His tone was so sweet and boyish, how could she not?

“I do. Just be careful-”

She barely managed to get the words out of her mouth, when Kylo transitioned from an intimate hold to heaving her above his head in a swan lift. Rey tightened her core and posed demurely as she'd been taught by Phasma (in a theoretical sense) and as she'd been taught about carrying through on her jumps by her Duster brother on midnight runs.

She only realized she'd been holding her breath was back on earth, dipped from the waist, and the routine had ended.

Kylo set her back on her feet, grinning in victory, the sight a bit too smug for Rey's taste.

“Kylo, I – I trust you to carry me through lifts but – stars, warn me before you do something like that next time!” Rey exclaimed, scolding her fiancé through her gasps for breath.

Kylo broke out into peals of laughter.

“Forgive me, my lady, I forget who I'm speaking to! Naturally a Duster wouldn't be afraid of heights,” he said, still chuckling.

“No – I wouldn't be! So _tell me_ , I won't get spooked just because I'm warned!” she exclaimed in indignation. The grin he gave her did ridiculous things to her stomach.

“Well, my lady, it seems as if your trouble with the tango has cleared. Knowing now what great fun it can be dancing with you,” he said, his smile turning cheeky “I look forward to our next dance at the Ball,” he said, settling himself in a low bow, keeping his warm, hazel eyes trained on her. Rey offered up her best, most lady-like, flourishing curtsy in kind.

“As do I, Kylo, my lord,” she said, feigning her posh accent again after a long, long hiatus.

Kylo _snorted_ in laughter.

It was the most beautiful sound Rey had ever heard.

~*~*~*~

Mock-ball day arrived, and despite her best efforts and all of Rose's self-love lessons, Rey was still a twinge nervous. The assessment took place in the evening, to avoid conflicting use of the dining-ballroom sectors of the ship, and run-ins with the arriving Imperial gentry. Rey, escorted by Phasma, met Commander Tico in the smallest dining room to begin the assessment.

They had their cordial dinner there, refreshing Rey on her dinner manners and giving her the opportunity to assess her conversational etiquette simultaneously with a bit a of small talk. Rey certainly didn't mind the opportunity to check herself on her posture.

“And how is your sister doing as of late, Commander Tico?” Rey asked, phrasing her question formally, as she'd been taught. Rose lips quirked in the shadow of a conspiratorial grin.

“Quite well, my lady. She has proved herself indispensable in the Imperial kitchens and should pass her examination to become a full-fledged chef in short order. I have every faith in her culinary skills,” said Rose, taking a deep drought of her red wine. “ _However_ , when it comes to her taste in companions in the kitchens, I'm not sure how I feel about some of their character's.”

Rey felt herself stiffen uncomfortably. Where was Rose going with this? Surely, she wasn't going to comment on the staff's low-born statuses, now that she counted her sister among the ranks of the ship's staff?

“Certainly Daisy has my every respect – she's likely one of _The Desiderata_ 's hardest working crew members, outside of Lieutenant Connix. But that radar technician she associates with...” Tico said, her groaning sigh dripping with sisterly disapproval, no matter how slight she tried to make it.

“He has a knack for getting into trouble that, sooner or later, his track record and rippling muscles will not save him from,” she said, with an uncharacteristic roll of her eyes. Rey's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull.

“Forgive me, Commander Tico – rippling muscles?” she said, smile quirking in a sheepish smile.

Rose glanced at her wine glass for a pregnant moment, flushed profusely, and set her drink back down.

“Apologies for my crash frankness, my lady. You see, my sister simply could not stop laughing about a Freudian slip Daisy had said to her the other night. The adorably besotted Frost Fae claimed the technician, Matt, had an eight-pack of abs, instead of six.”

Rey managed to avoid snorting her wine out through her nose at Rose's tipsy ramblings, and this alone she considered a great success, even as she chortled obnoxiously with laughter.

The mock-ball continued on their walk to ballroom, during which they took a detour through the gardens, both for the joy of it, and to wrap-up the examination of Rey's conversational skills. Finally, the evening ended with few questions about Imperial history on the ballroom steps, and dancing an intricate Foxtrot with Phasma as her partner. All in all, the trial went off without a hitch.

Huitzi Rose was gleaming with golden-orange pride once more.

“Fear not one bit, my lady. You are ready. I expect you'll stun them all.”

~*~*~*~

“Well, BeeBee, this is it,” Rey murmured, her heart already _thumping_ in earnest as she gently petted the bridge of her bat-eared fox' nose. “It's Engagement Ball day,” she said with a shaky sigh, BeeBee whining joyfully at her offer of a small bowl cacti juice she'd had Daisy squeeze for him as a supplement to his breakfast of grubs.

Rey spent most of her day reading the borrowed books on Mystic magick and the Solo family from the Imperial library (when she had the patience for it), eating her meals (when her anxiety settled enough to have room for hunger), and running through self-defense and fighting forms with her starlight staff (when she had far too much energy coursing through her body for anything, and was in dire need of an outlet).

When the ship's clock began to near 4pm, Rey sighed and rose from lying on her duvet on her stomach, reading about the particulars of Golem magick.

“No point in keeping Phasma waiting once she gets here, right boy?” Rey asked BeeBee, rhetorically. The sandy-coated fox gave no answer. He was asleep in his nest-of-fluff pet bed that he'd taken up the responsibility of “redesigning” to suit his needs.

Rey retreated to her bathroom and showered, scrubbing clean every part of her body and brushing her hair when she emerged from the steamy room in her bathrobe, in the hope of keeping it relatively straight and easy to style.

As promised, Phasma was there waiting for her to help get her ready, her smile patient and kind, but her blue eyes glazing sentimental, in a bittersweet sort of way.

“It's my first Ball, Phasma,” Rey said, with a laugh “You're not about to walk me down the aisle to be married.”

“Not yet, anyway,” murmured Phasma cheekily, earning the Dragoon a smack on the shoulder from her friend.

Phasma fussed with Rey's hair first, giving Rey the freedom to muscle down a few bites of an early dinner, as much as her nerves would allow, before the Captain began painting her face.

Stomach as full as it would currently withstand, Phasma began multitasking, switching between brushing on Rey's foundation and blush and straightening and pinning her hair into a high, pristine bun.

The time seemed to pass by with lightning speed, 5pm turning to 6, and then 6:30. Regardless, Rey was prepped and primped and standing in front of her closet's full-length mirror with still twenty minutes to spare before the Ball's beginning.

Phasma was just making her final adjustments, clasping on Rey's necklace, pinning back fly-away hairs, examining the creases in the gown's skirt, as Rey played with her elbow-length evening gloves, not quite willing to put them on yet.

“Come on, Rey, I'm supposed to escort you there in fifteen minutes! Pull on the blasted gloves already!” Phasma exclaimed, impatiently. She was just as nervous as Rey and her lady's anxiety was doing nothing to still hers.

“I'm sorry, Phasma, I'm just...having difficulty breathing at the moment,” Rey said, settling a hand on her stomach and shutting her eyes, focusing solely on the movement of air through her body. It helped, but as her mind drifted subconsciously into the Ethereum, she caught a hint of Kylo's nervous internal monologue from the next room, and the accidental almost-intrusion into his mind sent her nerves skyrocketing again.

Rey sat on a pouf, trying to get a grip on herself.

“My lady, forgive me – that was tactless of me. Take all the time you need,” Phasma said, kneeling in front of her and clasping Rey's knee reassuringly. Rey reflected the Captain's kind smile back at her, and spent a few, silent minutes in meditation, simply in her own head.

When she opened her eyes, her heat was still racing, but her mind had calmed. She was still nervous, but she knew she could do this.

She fingered the gloves idly, skeptically, in thought.

“Phasma – I have a question...”

“Yes, my lady?” said the Dragoon, turning to face her, as she'd moved away to pace while Rey meditated.

“Would it be possible to – or rather, would there be a way to-” Rey huffed in frustration, rising from her seat and moving to her accessory drawers, rooting through the middle one and fishing out the ring box, popping it open.

“Can I wear this with the gloves on?” Phasma's eyes nearly popped out her skull, smile broad with ecstatic glee.

“His Lordship gave you _that?_ Why didn't you tell me?!” Rey loosed a shy grin.

“I didn't want to until I was ready to wear it. He gifted me a proper engagement ring, no strings attached, mind, but...I'd like to wear it. Tonight.” Phasma's smile of endearment was its own reward as she stepped up, musing over the problem.

“Try to put it on over top of the gloves first – it might prove too tight.”

Slipping and tugging on her left glove, Rey found the ring stubbornly refused to go on over the cotton fabric, despite it not proving terribly thick.

“Damn,” Rey murmured.

“Figures it be too perfect of a fit. Well, it won't be visible, but the ruby isn't so bulbous that you can't wear it comfortably under the gloves. Mind, it would then be more of an symbolic gesture...” Phasma said, a bit disheartened herself.

Still, Rey removed the glove, slipped on the ring, and tried the glove again, finding the fit easy. There was barely a bump on her finger to indicate there was even anything under the glove. In a way, that was more disappointing.

But, Rey had determined to wear it tonight – if nothing else, to declare her love in a way she knew Kylo would have understood. With each passing day, the idea of marriage to his Lordship seemed to more and more closely approach her life-long dream of finding Prince Charming, and stars, the realization was as delightful as it was dizzying.

“Well, it's time. It'll have to do, my lady,” Phasma said, already drawing her helmet about her in a mercurial curtain, Dragoon horns molding a bit larger and sharper for the astute occasion when the metal hardened.

“Very well,” Rey murmured, tugging on the other glove and taking one last glance in the mirror, beaming at the beautiful woman she saw in her reflection “Lead the way, Captain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! :D
> 
> My first Inktober is now complete! Back to our regularly scheduled programming. ;)


	20. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Rey's preparation has lead to this. But some things in life simply cannot be planned for.
> 
> The Imperial Royal Court is definitely one of those things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find the Sith Family Tree confusing and require a visual, the messy family is pictured here: https://twitter.com/The28thAurora/status/1324957941447974912
> 
> Music for Rey and Kylo's waltz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsiL5r8Jgck  
> Start listening at 0:11.
> 
> Also, yay, my first moodboard! :D This chapter (okay, set of chapters, the ball was too long to put fit in one) was so significant, it demanded a visual.

Phasma offered Rey the crook of her elbow like a gentlemen, and Rey took it with ease. She couldn't put into words how grateful she was that she was being escorted to the ball by a friend.

In spite of the lingering servants, and at least one darkly cloaked Imperial gentry walking around a corner, _The Desiderata_ didn't feel any fuller or louder than usual, in spite of the nearly 60 additional passengers that now supposedly occupied the ship. Rey had noticed the arrival and docking of their raptor-, insect-, and carnivore-shaped transports from her windows more than the actual guests themselves.

The warm hallway fluorescents, dimmed to their evening setting, guided Phasma and Rey down the dark stone and red velvet paths to the ballroom and dining wing and right up to the cracked open golden doors of the Grande Ballroom.

“Wait here,” Phasma instructed, a few feet from the entrance. Rey unlinked their arms and centered herself on the spot, breathing deeply.

She could hear the chatter of the guests within, and her heart was beginning to race.

Phasma appeared to be chatting with someone near the entrance, too quietly for her to hear, even at close proximity. The Dragoon gave a curt nod, chrome helmet flashing, and returned to her side.

“His Lordship will welcome the guests shortly, after which time he will open the dance floor and introduce you, marking the first dance of the night. Stand behind the door here, and wait until you hear his Lordship to finish speaking before you enter. Best of luck, my lady. You have my complete confidence,” Phasma said, equal parts stiffly courteous and familiarly warm – a persona betwixt her Captain and her friend.

“Thank you, Captain Phasma,” Rey said, heart in her throat as she approached the door and stood at the corner it made with the wall, hands clasped tight enough in front of her to make her fingers begin to tingle with numbness.

After several tense minutes, Rey started at the sound of gentle knocking at the other side of the golden door.

“My lady?” asked a hesitant, low, infrasonic voice.

Kylo.

“Yes, I'm here, my lord,” she blurted out in surprise and relief.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice peaked with concern. Her heart would have melted were it not so preoccupied with beating out of her chest.

“Honestly, I'm a wreck. The sooner we begin so the anticipation can cease strangling me, the better.”

“I completely understand, Rey. I was the same way at my first public outing – but you needn't fear. I'll be right at your side, all night. If all else fails, look to me, and I'll help you with anything you need.”

Though Rey could not see her fiancé, she could plainly feel him reaching out to her in the Ethereum. Her pulse fluttered for far sweeter reasons, and she looked to the constellations to guide her hand to mirror the exact placement of his palm, pressed endearingly against the other side of the door. Their presence's and hands overlapped, and a profound feeling of calm washed over her.

“Thank you, my dear. That does wonders to calm my anxious mind,” Rey, speaking the endearment with intention this time. Calling him by his name alone would not have been adequate to expression her gratitude and affection towards him in that moment.

The way his presence spiraled and sparked in a wash of darling colors, bright pink and yellow like tropical lilies, only cemented her position that she'd said just the right thing.

“Anything for you, my lady,” he breathed, his fondness for her laid plain in his sweet tone of voice. He took a deep, modulated breath. “It's time. Are you ready, my lady?”

Rey shut her eyes for a beat, and took a breath of her own.

There was fire in her humble brown irises when they opened.

“Yes, my lord, I am.”

Rey knew he'd swept inside when the crowd's prattling ceased.

“Good evening, Imperial nobility and honored guests. It is my distinct privilege to host you all tonight aboard my flagship, for a night of celebration!” Polite applause followed his showman-like introduction. Rey's mouth quirked into a smile. For all his capacity for dramatics, his solitary lifestyle had indicated to Rey that he would hate such public speaking affairs. From the sound of things, however, he was either actually in his element, or really good at faking it after his Imperial education.

“As you all know, you were invited tonight to welcome a most remarkable woman into the gentry of the one true Emperor,”

“'Long may he live enthroned'” intoned the assembled crowd, making Rey's heart ice over with harsh reminder. Even if all went well tonight, there was still the prominent matter of the Emperor to deal with. And all the Empire, Kylo included, were ceaselessly loyal to him.

Then again, Kylo had said he'd take matters of Hux into his own hands...

But that was still just a small start, after years of being under Snoke's tutelage. She couldn't rush or push the man, only encourage him along the way. This much, he'd already made clear. But she hoped she could lead him from the man that had followed him, and cast a dark shadow over his life.

“-And to publicly declare my intent to wed her. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present my fiancé, Lady Rey Somnus...” Kylo said, low, solemn voice carrying to her with ease. Rey lifted her head, spine straightening as the Imperial court applauded. She turned the corner and stepped through the doors, flanked by topaz-Dragoon guards on either side.

The Grande Ballroom was a wash of black and gray and red and mauve, the dark colors all blending together in Rey's periphery. She paid little mind to the crowd – she'd become familiar enough with them all in the course of the evening. For the moment, she directed her attention to her fiancé.

His dark helm was in place, as to be expected, but the attire he'd donned flattered him greatly. The black velvet cloak appeared lighter and a bit shorter than his usual fair, tied in stylish asymmetry about his shoulders, favoring the right side. His black coat's boarders were piped with gold thread, the edges carrying swirls of gold embroidery that displayed Mystic magick runes and fire motifs, the long, sharp coattails giving him a striking silhouette. His militaristic combat-boots had been exchanged for a dressy-er pair that shined like new, dress pants without a speck of lint to be found on the dark fabric, and soft, black, cotton gloves.

In short, the jacket's outline did wonders for him, revealing how trim and fit he'd been all along underneath his thick, leather, Inferi armor. He was terribly handsome and thoroughly princely.

Her demure, admiring blush, as she took hold of the banister, however, was nothing compared to his reaction upon seeing her.

The Ethereum _exploded_. There was no other word for it. There was still starlight one moment, a burst of technicolor light and warmth and brilliance the next – hitting her with the force of a super-sonic, atmosphere-bound transport. More glimmering tints of electric, bright, chroma-charged colors than she'd conceived of existing washed over her intuition, adrift and wonder-struck in the Ethereum. But, in spite of the flood of emotions, one spear of sunlight flew straight and true, striking her soul dead-center.

He loved her. He absolutely, irrefutably, undeniably, unequivocally loved her. His essence was glowing with it, enraptured by the sight of her, his darling lady, appearing to his eyes like a Goddess who'd deigned to be so wondrous as to make planet-fall in his name.

By the time she'd reached the bottom of the stairs and subconsciously slid her hand into his, her heart was too full with delight and mirth and joy to know what to do. But, she met his coal-black eyes, glimmering in adoration, and let him lead her to the center of the floor, hand tucked in the crook of his arm like it belonged there.

The fifteen piece orchestra took their cue from the conductor, and as Rey turned to face her fiancé, they struck up a waltz with a moderate tempo, melancholy and beautifully sweet.

Rey followed the music's flow and Kylo's lead, a little unsteady at first, but quickly gaining focus as her muscle-memory kicked in. She lost herself to flow of the tune, and suddenly the world fell away, dissolving into bright, nebulous hallow that drew them into its star-dotted fold. As far as she was concerned, she and Kylo were the only two people in the room, dancing about in dark, star-speckled space, a pair of shooting stars themselves, tracing orbital paths along the quartz tiles. She stared deep into the depths of Kylo's dark eyes, recalling their true hazel appearance, and finding the onyxes warm and familiar, even with the green visor's visual illusion.

His guiding hands at her back and clutching hers were warm, tender comforts. Their gentle pressure lead her through slow spins under his arm, grand, sweeping twirls, promenade steps where they clutched each other's wrists, turning in a circle with their eyes trained on each other, and supported her and hoisted her up in a gentle lift and spin against his hip when the orchestra swelled.

It felt like belonging to move with him, like a homecoming. For a brief moment, Rey set her head against Kylo's breast as he spun her in his arms, her heart content and full. After a gentle dip, and few more turns, the orchestra finished.

The illusion broke upon the crowd breaking out in applause, the room returning, bright and packed with Imperial gentry. But he still only had eyes for her as they took their customary bow and curtsy.

_Nine Heavens, I think I forgot how to breathe when you came in_ , he murmured, bridging their minds with ease, as she was happy to let him in.

_I noticed_ , she said back, trying not to sound too smug about it, but she couldn't help the cheeky smile that graced her lips. As they rose, he took her by the hand, returning her to his side and the crook of his arm as the floor opened and they moved to an empty spot among the other convalescing pairs for a Foxtrot the whole Court customarily danced.

_You look quite handsome yourself this evening, too, my lord,_ Rey said, complimenting him in turn. He deserved to know how dashing he looked.

_Ha! My lady – I cannot hope to compare with your gorgeous radiance. Not on this night, nor any other_ , he murmured like a love-sick, sappy teen, essence swirling with his adorable infatuation.

_Kylo, you do flatter me so,_ Rey said, blushing furiously as they took hands and the meandering Foxtrot began. _I know not how to react to such generous compliments. I'm entirely unaccustomed to them._

_A dreadful shame. How anyone on Jakku failed to recognize your dazzling beauty is beyond me._

_My lord – PLEASE_ , said Rey, well and truly flustered now. _I was being serious, I can't handle such heart-warming nonsense._

_Then I will fix you with doting compliments until you develop a tolerance._

Rey fixed him with glare that only made the corners of his dark eyes crinkle with mirth.

_Your Lordship was not nearly so generous with compliments before._..

His joyful buoyancy drooped in solemnity.

_You'll have to forgive my trespasses, my lady. On one hand, I did not wish to cause you discomfort in the beginning. On the other...I feared my words of praise would go unreciprocated, and unappreciated._

_But, now that I've made plain I enjoy your saccharine love poems?_

_Expect more than you could imagine, my lady, and more still. I'd sing your praises from dusk 'til dawn, if only to make plain my complete adoration of you._

Her whole body warmed in an instant, as if she'd taken a shot of the most potent, dizzying liquor.

_Oh, stars..._ she breathed, her joy and embarrassment plain.

If hearing his goofy, boisterous laugh out loud was a delight, hearing it in her mind was a gift.

The Foxtrot came to an end and the assemblage applauded the orchestra again, beginning to mix and mingle amongst themselves.

Rey's furious, crimson blush began to fade as her anxiety kicked in again.

“Time to meet the Court,” Kylo said, linking arms with her.

“Nine Heavens...” Rey swore quietly for courage, as they approached the first darkly cloaked individual.

“Lord Plagueis, allow me to introduce Lady Rey,” Kylo said cordially, the dark cloaked man turning to face them, yellow eyes peering out from the dark recesses of his hood, revealing only a little of his lined, long face to Rey's eyes. Rey bent in an elegant curtsy.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Plagueis,” she said, the ancient man staring at her, long and hard and perceptive. When he spoke, his voice gave the impression of the rusted, squeaky cogs of an old machine straining into working order again, slow to start and spin properly.

“...Lord Kylo, I'm surprised at you. While you honor me with this introduction, surely the Emperor will take offense at introducing your Lady to an old coot such as myself?”

“Getting on in years or no, Lord Plagueis, my sire taught me to respect my elders and superiors. As the Nightmare's patriarch, by my estimation, you are still both.”

To Rey's ears, while Kylo's tone was amicable, she could easily pick up the shallow sincerity of it. This was his forced courtesy then, when in the company of his court.

“So long as my son and sire doesn't hear of it,” the wizened man whispered, conspiratorially, winking one menacing yellow eye. Rey could only start, her shock somehow staying purely internal.

The man before her was Snoke's _father?_

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Rey,” he said nodding her way, finally acknowledging her existence verbally, forcing her from her stupor “Forgive me, but I've yet to learn what magicks you will be bringing to the Imperial bloodline-”

Before Rey had hope of speaking, Kylo interjected.

“She's a Somnus, your grace. The respected Outer Rim Dream-Duster family?”

“Ah yes, yes of course. Always good to welcome in the occasional Duster, clears up any stagnation in the line without muddying it senselessly with weak, Somni light. Congratulations, Lord Kylo, and many blessings upon you both,” concluded the old man in his meandering, course murmur, before shuffling away among the crowd. Rey and Kylo moved on as well.

_I trust it'd be wise not to mention my new-found Gaia powers to the Court, then?_ Rey asked Kylo, just to clarify his cut-off.

_No, my lady. Gaia's are almost always Grand Healers – and Grand Healers are as Somni as you can get. One breath about your new-found powers and Snoke will rip you from me faster than the speed of light,_ Kylo warned her, wearily. Rey sighed in his mind, already feeling the crippling weight against her heart, a rebellion of her indignation, screeching forcefully against her silence.

_Is similar pure-blood madness to be expected from their company all night?_ Kylo's grip on her arm tightened, protective and secure.

_Similar and worse, I'm sorry to say. Nightmares have always had such obsessions. Look no further than the cousins in my adopted family_ , he said, essence running raw and dark with his sympathy at the disrespectful treatment she'd been given, as he inclined his head towards the corner.

_See the Dragoon with the bone armor helm?_

_Yes._

_That is Viscount Krayt. He is married to my second-cousin, Mirialan, the yellow-skinned Umbra with the dark gauntlets at his side. And the gray-skinned Nyx in full armor is their daughter Baroness Asajj Ventress. Except, she isn't, not by blood at least,_ Kylo said, glancing at her, a severe look clouding his gaze.

_The matriarch of their branch of the family, Countess Cognus, was so obsessed with keeping the blood-line pure, she picked two of her four famous Executioner grandchildren at random to continue it. Mirialan and her brother, Pentas were forced to produced an heir – Asajj._

Rey nearly spontaneously vomited.

_She's a child of incest?! Thirteen Hells!!_

_Trust me, the practice sickens me as well,_ Kylo said, and his essence curdling with disgust in kind, _But to a family who wants to keep their dark magicks running pure, there was nothing else to be done. Nightmares are a dying breed. They disseminate however they can._

Rey kept her face impassive, as best she could. But she sent her feeling of profound horror and confusion at his words into Kylo's mind, full-force.

...Nearly walking into a tall, horned Daemon in the process.

“Greetings, cousin,” said the low, bass voice of the man upon turning and catching sight of Kylo, his striking, elegant, and sharp black-and-red-patterned skin momentarily shocking Rey before she managed to compose her expression back into one of impassivity. “To think, after all your years of bragging that you'd yet snag up a more magickally gifted wife than I...you settle for a Duster.”

Kylo's hatred and annoyance flared up in his mind like a pile of dry twigs taking to flame.

“Power comes in _many_ forms, Marquess Maul. Surely, you of all people should know that – what with your brother's mysterious absence from this celebration, at your father's behest he single-handedly crush the rebellions on Krayt, instead of you, his firstborn?” Kylo said smoothly, ever the charismatic agitator, infrasonic voice humming dangerously.

The Marquess appeared for a beat as if he were about to pounce on her fiancé. Then, a woman, a great deal shorter than the imposing Daemon, wrapped her gently smoldering, lava-tinted arms around one bulging bicep and he stilled.

“Boys, boys, please – can you not put aside your petty rivalry for one night of well-mannered frivolity?” said the drop-dead gorgeous, red-eyed Astrae, her curled blue and white hair hypnotic to behold, the way the coils bounced and swayed of their own accord.

Neither Kylo nor Maul seemed to assent the need to diffuse the tension, glaring at each other.

The Astrae huffed out a sigh.

“Fine then. You two work it out like mature, level-headed adults, while we get some air,” And just like that, the Astrae swept forward, took Rey by the arm, and lead her back up the stairs to wander in the mostly empty lobby.

“You'll have to forgive those two, my dear. They've been at each other's throats since the day they met. Certainly his Lordship gaining ranking command over our two boys has only raised my Maul's ire higher,” she said, awfully flippant about an arch-enemy relationship as they paced the velvet carpet, unhurried.

“Forgive me, what do you mean by ranking command, Marchioness...?”

“Marchioness Tano,” answered the Astrae, with a brilliant smile, that, as far as Rey could tell, was genuine. “And my twin boys, Cardo and Vicrul, are members of the Knights of Ren.”

“Yes, of course, the Emperor's elite guard my lord commanded. I can plainly see your predicament. It's a pleasure to meet you, Marchioness Tano, and you have my full sympathies. Having your sons in such a position must be very difficult.” Tano waved her off.

“Oh, my boys are tough as titanium, they can handle anything. It's my husband I worry about. If his blood pressure gets any higher, he might have an aneurysm, permanently damage his circulation. Serious injury like that, poor Daemon could lose his legs,” said Tano, nodding somberly, eyes round in curious contemplation.

Rey could only blink in bafflement, trying to keep her expression as neutral as she could manage. The woman was a bizarre member of such a self-righteous, aggressive court, to be certain.

“So, how he'd get you, hmm?” Tano asked, snapping her fingers and collecting two glasses of champagne delivered to her promptly on the serving staff's silver tray. Rey took the glass, numbly.

“I'm not sure what you mean, Dame Tano,” Rey murmured, pulse hiccupping. Tano downed nearly her full glass before answering.

“No Nightmare just runs into a Somni so eager and desperate to be wed, my dear. Take it from an Astrae who knows,” said the orange-tinted, molten noblewoman, quirking her index finger at herself. “Marquess Maul forced me into a binding deal to get me to wed him as well.”

Then, she smirked devilishly.

“What he never expected was to delight in our verbal sparring, and revel in our physical boughts.”

“Marchioness Tano-” Rey exclaimed, in complete bafflement, scandalized by the woman's bold-faced words. She did _not_ need to know how satisfied Kylo's cousin was with her sex life.

Tano merely snorted and quietly chortled bubbily into her glass.

“Oh, dear Lady Rey, don't look so violated! Someone aught to tell you what it is like to be married to a Nightmare – and trust me when I say it won't be Ventress! They can be quite overzealous and passionate in bed, and I'm certain Lord Kylo will be no exception!” she said, giggling like mad. Rey frantically began to glance about, searching for her fiancé's dark helm in a desperate bid for help.

Then, Tano's hand settled atop Rey's, clutching her icy drink.

“In all seriousness, my dear, you've got a way's to go still. But don't worry, I can tell, even from a cursory glance that you've done wonders for my adopted cousin. Just keep at it – your light is just what the poor lost thing needs,” said Tano, in a carefully emphasized, enunciated whisper, before patting Rey's hand and going on her way, gliding among the crowd that had started to wander about outside, in her out-of-place, dark blue wrap-dress.

Rey quietly sipped her champagne, trying to make sense of what in the Thirteen Hells had just happened, when she was bombarded again.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Rey,” said a gravelly, asthmatic voice, raw with strain and messy modulation.

Rey had to bite back her scream upon turning to see the towering, wide, darkly-cloaked figure.

He looked something like a Dragoon, or a Beetle...but that was a weak comparison at best. He was more like the product of experiment involving Mystic and insect gene splicing, resulting in an unholy creation – a biped, human-muscled, ivory-armored insect with beady yellow eyes, backwards knees, mandibles, and four, three-pronged arms.

That, and the strained sounds of the water filtration system he wore about his neck like a collar, allowing him to breathe through his paper-thin gills, was very distracting with all the gurgling and burbling noises it produced.

“How do you do, sir...?” Rey said, voice thin with fear, as she sunk into a curtsy automatically.

“Count Grievous, at your service,” growled the Beetle, giving her a low, sweeping bow. After the initial shock at his appearance faded, however, Rey had to admit that he did seem a very polite Mystic, especially for the Imperial Court.

“A pleasure,” said Rey, a bit more confidently as she continued to sip her drink.

“Might I have a word with your ladyship?” Grievous asked, crouching down closer to her eye-level. Her intuition still cast wide, Rey sensed no aggression or ill will rolling off the creature, so she assented.

“Gladly, my lord,” said Rey, following Grievous' lead just a few steps further down the hall, and away from the epicenter of the hubbub that had gradually developed around them.

“How familiar are you with Separatist campaign, my lady?” began the Mystic, clicking his mandibles amicably.

Rey pursed her lips in thought.

From what little she'd heard about the few planets who wanted to self-govern, and remove themselves both from Imperial rule and New Republic jurisdiction, there was nothing objectively questionable in their bid for independence.

“I'm afraid I'm just a novice, my lord,” she said, speaking honestly. Grievous seemed to brighten at this.

“I am one of the head financiers, backing the Separatist cause. We are trying to further press the issue at New Republic senate meetings and encourage legislation that will allow more systems to self-govern, free of threat from either system,” Grievous explained, with gurgling zeal. Rey nodded earnestly, making clear he had her full attention.

“The handful of planets, such as Utapau, Kamino, and Tatooine, simply want the right to self-govern and make decisions within their own spheres of influence. It would strengthen the trade economy massively to be able to set the prices of clone troopers or servants, machinery or hunted game, based on demand instead of Republic or Imperial regulation standards. Not to mention, we are more than equipped to handle disputes between systems on our own. The sheer quantity of stories I've heard over the years of Imperial soldiers sent in to quell conflicts, resulting in escalating riots and massacres...it is a horror to even comprehend, my lady,” said the Beetle, back bent under the weight of sorrow and tragedy. “Such needless loss of life could all easily be avoided with the ability to self-govern. Who could know our plights or settle our disagreements better than our own people?”

Rey nodded soberly, meeting the Beetle's amber eyes candidly.

“I understand completely. Sometimes in a people's history, a break from tradition is necessary for growth and the creation of a better system,” Rey said, sincere.

Grievous' eyes narrowed, crinkled at the corners with elation.

“Exactly, my lady! I cannot describe how thrilled I am you understand our cause! There is however...an unfortunate difficulty in bringing our case to the New Republic's attention...”

“Do tell, my lord.”

“...Lack of funds,” said Grievous, rubbing his hands together, nervously “No campaign can survive with limited numbers and no power or privilege to support it. My point being...should the opportunity arise, would you be willing to put in a good word to his Lordship, to provide support through a donation, or a strongly worded message to the Senate. Just a small gesture would make every difference, my lady, _please_ ,” said the Beetle, drawing uncomfortably close to Rey, practically groveling at her feet, fingers _clacking_ as he rubbed them together in slimy supplication.

She backed up, unsettled.

“Please, my lady...”

“I – I will consider your request, my lord-”

“For the sake of _freedom?_ ” he murmured, fierce and suddenly terribly imposing, nearly nose to nose with her...at least that would have been the case if the Beetle _had_ a nose, instead of just nostril-slits in his armor plating.

Suddenly, a strand of white fire impacted the Beetle's shoulder like a whip, and Grievous screeched in pain and terror, sprinting off at top speed like a wounded dog, head tucked below his shoulders in fear.

“Forgive the mongrel, Lady Rey. He never learns,” snarled the older man, lowering his smoldering hand, white whip retreating into his palm as his fire-red eyes cooled to brown. His trim white beard and burgundy robes were a striking combination of colors amidst all the black of the Court. Still just trying to catch her breath, Rey surprised even herself with her polite and courteous response.

“Apologies, my lord, but – 'mongrel?'” Rey said, dipping slightly in greeting.

“That vile abomination is the stain on this family I fear we will never wipe out,” he said, voice clipped and unapologetic as he approached her, and adjusting the collar of his long, formal robes as he went, in disgust. He bowed with his head and introduced himself.

“Earl Tyranus, though I can hardly blame you if you forget the name by night's end – more than enough forgetful names to go around,” he sniffed, pretentiously.

“A pleasure,” said Rey, formally, though she was immediately weary of the Pyrite? Inferi? It was rather difficult to tell with him. He was either a particularly fierce Pyrite, or a weaker Inferi.

“I suspect you're wondering what _it_ is, my lady,” said Tyranus, dragging Rey from her speculation, gesturing in the direction which Count Grievous had disappeared. “Let me tell you, Lady Rey, that is what happens when a Beetle is born prematurely. Without a proper growing tank, the gravity of most single-star worlds warps and deforms their bodies into something disgusting and loathsome, until they're practically a different species entirely. The Beetles call such beasts Mantises,” Earl Tyranus growled, his vile hatred plain.

“Forgive my ignorance, my lord, but I'm still unfamiliar with most of the court...which side of the family does he belong to, my Lord's or Countess Cognus'?” Rey asked, genuinely confused.

Tyranus said no more, but the deadly look he gave her told her that she couldn't have asked a more wrong question if she'd tried to.

Fortunately, a gaggle of women passed them by at the moment, and one of them spoke up.

“Evening, Earl Tyranus,” said a lilting, pleasant voice. Tyranus' eyes darted up as if their very purpose was to gaze at the Mystic with blue-gray skin, pale blonde hair, and a backless, white gown.

“Lady Skyre...” murmured Tyranus, his demeanor changed completely, into something haunted and aggrieved, but sweet all at once. “A wonderful evening, indeed,” he said, stepping forward and kissing the back of her hand cordially...yet tenderly.

Lady Skyre's clear blue eyes met Rey's, and she knew instantly the woman was a Telepath.

_Clever Duster, welcome to the family,_ murmured the woman in Siren-like tones, but she did Rey the courtesy of not lingering too long in her head. Another woman swept forward out of the group, as the rest puttered on, doting after the couple in the center Rey had yet to meet – but judging by the Dragoon's immaculate and razor sharp obsidian armor, he was likely to be the father of Kylo's Executioner cousins.

The woman who approached was the sallow-skinned Mystic, wearing the onyx gauntlets and a black dress with a plunging neckline, that Kylo had referred to as 'second-cousin Mirialan.'

“Honored to meet you, Lady Rey,” said the Umbra with a nectar-sweet voice, dipping into a bow, her long, dark lashes brushing her high cheekbones.

“And I you, Viscountess Mirialan,” said Rey, reflecting her courtesy.

“I'm glad my carnal, licentious cousin finally decided to settle down, and with such a decent Mystic girl too. I was so sure he'd marry one of his dozens of tavern wenches, just to shut up our sire and continue the lineage for blood's sake alone,” said the Umbra, with an easy smile and a roll of her white-yellow eyes – as if every word she'd just said made for normal conversation, and was even plain or boring fair.

“Thank you, my lady,” said Rey, pulling the good from the slough of awful she'd just heard, the only evidence of her embarrassment and horror a slight blush she could blame on the alcohol.

But Mirialan simpered, seeing right through her.

“Stars above, you don't know, my dear, do you?!” said the Viscountess, far too eagerly, eyes crinkling with wicked mirth.

“I haven't the foggiest idea what you mean, Viscountess,” Rey said firmly, depositing her empty champagne glass on a traveling tray and snatching up another full flute.

The Umbra leaned in close, eyes flashing eagerly.

“Lord Kylo is rumored to be quite the womanizer. From the age of sixteen, he was cruising about the galaxy, gaining influence by seducing his way into the bedchambers of many an heiress and governor's daughter,” she said, with a wicked, gossiping giggle “Where do you think the nickname 'the Feral Flame' came from anyhow? It certainly has nothing to do with his explosive anger, I'll tell you that much, my lady. But...you didn't hear about your fiancé's insatiable appetite from me...”

Rey could only hum noncommittally, feigning appreciation for this bit of intel on her fiancé.

“Understood Viscountess, but I appreciate the cautionary word, all the same,” Rey lied through her teeth, shocking even herself with her tone of calm.

Whether it had been genuine advice, or a kind of sick test of her tolerance, Viscountess Mirialan grinned at her, razor, shark's teeth gleaming white in admiration.

Avoiding her gaze and feeling dreadful, Rey decided if she heard one more twisted rumor about her fiancé's sexual proclivities tonight, protocol be damned, she would _scream_.

The crowd of women had nearly passed them by, leaving behind Mirialan for Rey to deal with alone, when another woman magickally materialized at her elbow.

“Mother, _what do you think you're doing?_ ” hissed Asajj Ventress, the pale, impeccably built menacing woman, towering over the Executioner.

“Meeting the new blood, and praising her for tying down the Feral Flame,” said the Viscountess, lightly, flashing a razor-toothed smile at her daughter.

“Mother, would it kill you to have one ounce of self-respect?!” Asajj growled, not low enough for Rey not to hear, though. “She's an Outer-Rim Duster! Not only is she Somni blood, she's _low_ Somni blood. You should not even give her the honor of gracing her with your presence!”

Ventress was one of the Nightmares Rey had heard the most ghost stories about in her youth. The woman was an Executioner as well, like her mother, father, and two uncles, and had a blood-lust that was considered to be unholy, even by Nightmare standards. Her greatest pleasure in life was the slaying of those who showed a particular propensity for Somni magicks – especially young children.

Rey knew not how she found her courage, or rather, her stupidity.

“Executioner Asajj Ventress, you do me a great honor by greeting me this night. Your warrior skills are legendary and your Liberation of Kijimi inspired,” said Rey, quick to recall the name of the planet Ventress had enacted her bloodiest massacre on, her words carrying not a hint of irony or sass, only genuine, modestly spoken praise.

Ventress didn't touch her, but she stepped forward with such force and complete disregard for personal space, that Rey was pinned against the wall, vision eclipsed by the Nyx' empty silver eyes.

“ _Why you little whore, I'll make you scream for that-_ ”

“Great, great-granddaughter,” coughed a voice that sounded like the user was swallowing gravel “Leave the child be. This is a night of celebration, unity. Let us not spill blood, before my dear grand-nephew even has the chance to produce heirs.”

Rey melted in relief at the sight. Kylo was leading a padding, terribly-slow, ancient woman on his arm, her face nearly concealed by her tattered, gray cloak, only her chin and lined jaw visible, her face smeared with black make-up in tear-streaks that were largely concealed by the hood's shadowy coverage.

Ventress straightened like a soldier in the presence of their Commander.

“Understood, Countess-Mother,” she said, backing off promptly. Rey bowed before the matriarch, so low she'd practically fallen into a crouch.

“It is an honor to meet you at last, Countess Cognus,” she said, relieved for the rescue, but now on tenterhooks all the same.

“Give me your palm, child, so that I may get a look at you,” crowed the centenarian, grasping blindly for Rey's hand.

_She's a seer, my lady. Just do it, and try not take anything she says at face value...or personally,_ Kylo explained, plainly apologetic. Rey held out her hand to the bent double woman, her wizened fingers tracing the lines of her palm.

“Good health, yes...excellent baring... _ah!_ Many, many progeny in your future – how delightful! Oh, and a rebellious spirit to boot, just like me when I was young!” Cognus patted Rey's hand affectionately and released her.

“Excellent choice, grand-nephew. She's a keeper, for sure,” said the Seer, reaching for Ventress, who was quick to offer her arm. “Come along, great, great-granddaughter. We must make sure your aunt stays out of trouble, now...”

Mirialan curtsied politely and sauntered away, giving Rey a saucy-wink as she floated off. Rey handed off her glass to a passer-by servant, feeling exhausted.

“Care to take a moment away from it all?” Kylo asked in a low whisper as she took his arm again.

“Can we?” Rey implored, dying for a moment to breathe.

“For a few minutes before dinner? Certainly.”

They walked a way's down the hall, turning into a blind corridor Rey had never noticed, ending up in front of one of the Conservatory's secondary entrances, stepping into the fresh air. The space was now sparsely lit for nighttime, tiny garden lamps catching hints of the flower's jewel tones, the glimmering stars twinkling above the glass dome beside the extinguished solar fluorescents.

“Forgive me for not coming to your aid sooner, my lady. Maul wouldn't let me out of his sight until I'd guaranteed both his sons serfdoms and flagships of their own when they retire from Imperial service,” Kylo said, with a despondent groan.

But Rey had little sympathy for him at this moment, so plagued was she by confusion.

“'Nightmares are a dying breed. They disseminate however they can.'” Rey exclaimed, in indignation, arms crossed in front of her chest. “What in the Thirteen Hells did you mean by that?!”

With a cautious glance about to ensure they were alone, Kylo's helmet burst, ashes fluttering onto the cobblestone floor as he revealed his panicked hazel eyes.

“Please, Lady Rey, forgive me, I didn't mean it at all the way it sounded-”

“Is that all this is to you?!” she retorted, gesturing between them, and the look that crossed his face was heart-breaking.

“Please tell me you don't honestly believe that...” he said, eyes plainly pleading for her understanding, even in the half-light.

“Between Marchioness Tano's words about the sexual appetites of Nightmares, and second-cousin Mirialan's comments about your 'dozen tavern wenches' and sleeping your way to success, I'm not sure what to believe!” she exclaimed, releasing her pent-up horror at the rumors she'd had to listen to impassively all night.

Kylo cringed in horror, running a weary hand over his face.

“...Early in my sire's tutelage, the Emperor spread many a rumor about me to help craft my mythical reputation,” he said, hesitant and ashamed “Part of that illusion was a devil-may-care attitude to...bedding and wedding matters. All it took was one little story passed from my sire to my Knights – and a completely false, baseless, driveling myth about “The Innumerable Sexual Conquests of Kylo Ren” spread among the family like wildfire...” he said rubbing his neck and avoiding her burning gaze.

“ _All_ the Knights are members of your family?” Rey asked, surprised by that point, having assumed they were merely recruits like him. Kylo nodded.

“Cardo and Vicrul are Ahsoka and Maul's twins, Trudgen and Ushar are my sire's legitimate blood-heirs, and Ap'lek and Kuruk are Marquess Savage's sons – Maul's younger brother.” Rey had to agree with the sentiment that news could carry fast with the aid of six different informants within one family. But as to the story itself...

“So I'm really supposed to believe _Lord Kylo Ren_ never did anything debaucherous?” Rey asked, tone vehemently serious and leaving no room for dodging the question.

Kylo's eyebrows lifted in embarrassment, and in the half-light, his face turned crimson.

“Not to put too fine a point on it, my lady, but...in actuality, I'm a virgin.”

Rey's eyebrows shot up her forehead and froze there. His words were so blatantly true and fervently vulnerable that there was not even a need to further examine his head. Her intuition just _knew_.

Kylo grimaced her way, examining her eyes for a response, a reaction, anything. He had need of some sort of comment. But what could she offer?

“...I'd ask if you're serious but, what's the point? I know you are...I'm just surprised.”

“Why is that so surprising?” he asked, plaintive. Rey sputtered.

“Because you're _The Man of Ashes!_ The Nightmare's Executioner, the Feral Flame, the Daemon Deal-Maker! You're so powerful and privileged, you can make anyone do anything you want, anytime you want, with no consequences!”

“I never _wanted_ anyone to sleep with me,” Kylo exclaimed, words pouring forth in a clumsy, uncomfortable rush “I had no interest in the act – Thirteen Hells, for a good part of my life, I was _convinced_ I never would!! Besides, Emperor Snoke vehemently discouraged sleeping around to protect the line, to the point that even my vague curiosity was snuffed out,” he rambled, humble, lost-and-clueless Ben Solo peaking through the cracks again.

“Then...with time...my curiosity turned into an impossible search for someone who might... _want_ me...” he muttered quietly, and Rey's heart dropped into her stomach in shame and sympathy.

“Not because I paid them, or-or made a _deal_ with them, or even because they'd bow to my status. Because they'd want that moment of utter unity...and – and love...with _me_.”

Rey's hands rose to cover her mouth, her guilt at her words dragging her under like a rip-tide. She sat down on the edge of the garden plot wall, burying her face in her hands.

“ _Gods above, either damn me for my ignorance, or strike me dead now to rid me of my shame,_ ” Rey swore, in the most vulgar spin on Spark-Speak she could muster. Though a Nightmare like Kylo couldn't possibly understand Spark-Speak, he understood her tone of voice, felt her shame acutely with his intuition's aid.

“Don't be so hard on yourself, Lady Rey. I'm used to it,” Kylo said with a sigh, voice sounding as if he'd moved a bit closer to her.

“But I should have known better! I've seen inside your head, I know you – I should've known better by now!” Rey exclaimed in distress.

“No, you shouldn't have. I used your deal to keep you here, even when I knew you were unhappy. Based on that...how could you have thought any different about me...”

His presence in the Ethereum became a dark, frothing ocean of turbulent shame.

“Asteroid's lead, no wonder my compliments left you feeling so uncomfortable-” he spat, disgusted with himself.

Rey jumped to her feet, prepared in an instant bare her whole heart to him to help him understand, no matter how her pulse thundered in fearful, warning protest of the revealing act.

“No – Kylo, that's not it at all! Please let me explain-”

The Conservatory door lock's hissed with pressurized air, and by the time they opened with a _whoosh_ , Kylo's ashen helmet was magicked back in place.

“Dinner is served, your lordship,” announced Daisy, with a demure curtsy.

“Thank you, Daisy. Please, go about your business,” Kylo said, somber and polite. Rey took his elbow without question, and they walked arm in arm to dinner, inordinately stiff and distant.

Rey tried to edge her way into his mind, her intuition managing to trace the path of their mental bridge, though she was no seer. Her senses hit something akin to a brick wall. He was keeping her out.

He was hurt.

Everyone was talking amongst themselves and had already taken their seats when they arrived, except for Kylo and herself. They walked the length of the room to the head of the table, Kylo wordlessly pulled out her chair for her, and they both settled.

Earl Tyranus sat across from Rey, a decisively unfriendly stare fixed on her. Rey avoided eye contact, turning instead to another older Mystic at her left elbow.

“Greetings, sire, I don't believe we've met yet,” Rey said, cordial, but toneless.

The hooded, old man, slowly turned in his seat to look at her. The grin that crossed his face was mild, friendly even. But combined with the harsh age-lines in his skin, and the bitter cold of his ice-blue eyes that seemed to look right through her, a horrible shiver raced down Rey's spine. He reminded her acutely of Snoke.

“Indeed not, Lady Rey,” said the old lord, politely, offering his hand so that he might kiss the back of hers in greeting. She found herself feeling grateful for her gloves. The fabric barrier minimized the sensation his cold, corpse-like lips pressed into her flesh. “Lord Sidious, at your service,” he said, grinning broadly.

Her hand didn't quite slip out of his grasp. There was a moment when he seemed to grip her imperceptibly tighter and the motion hiccupped, before following through.

“Tell me, my dear, how did you come into my mischievous nephew's good graces?” asked Sidious, conspiratorially, his tone striking her as slimy and base.

“Chance meeting, my lord,” Rey said, hand darting to her water glass to take small sips and steady her wave of disgust and nausea.

“Truly? Just a bit of happenstance on an Outer Rim planet? It's a rather big galaxy out there – worlds are few and far between, and beauteous women even more so. Take it from a lord who spent thirty odd years trying to find an adequate wife,” rambled the lord, slow and meandering, as if he had all the time in the world to tell his story.

The servants were carrying in the first course on covered trays, setting them in front of each guest, while another set of staff circled counter-clockwise, setting wine-filled glasses in front of the Court. Kylo was distracted, watching that their careful proceedings went off without a hitch.

“To have found you, my dear...such luck must have been ordained by the Gods, for his Lordship to stumble upon a rare, desert rose, such as yourself...” the old man all but whispered in her ear.

If Kylo had not stood at that very moment to lead the toast and begin the meal, Rey was certain she would have sprinted from the room.

Rey raised her wine glass in kind with the rest of the company.

“To life, to health, to the prosperous reign of our Emperor,” Kylo officiated, infrasonic and solemn, but rather dull-voiced himself.

The ensemble echoed his words and toasted to these things.

Kylo sat as the servants uncovered the trays of food, revealing a scrumptious wood-smoked fish on a bed of greens as a light starter. The room filled with the clatter of knives and forks, replacing the murmur of conversation at a similar decibel. Kylo didn't part-take, presiding imperiously over the table instead, chin resting on his interlocked fingers, gazing at the Court with a thousand-yard stare.

Sidious' level, smoldering gaze and broad smile made him appear as if he was about to voice another lecherous compliment, and in desperate bid for aid, Rey turned to her fiancé.

“My lord, are you sure you won't have even a little to eat?” she asked, equal parts afraid, uncomfortable, and concerned for his well-being.

Sensing her terror through her round eyes, and glancing at his uncle wearily, Kylo let out a small sigh.

“I genuinely haven't the appetite, my lady. But I will have one bite, to appease you,” he said, gathering up a bit of fish on his dinner fork, parting the shadows of the bottom half of his mask just a hair, like a foggy curtain, so he could get the bite into his mouth, solidifying the piece of armor into a singular whole again the second the fork was out of his face.

“Tell me, nephew, how does one manage to dig up a precious jewel like Lady Rey, in such an expanse of worthless sandstone boulders?” Sidious said, voice lilting musically, making Rey's skin crawl again as she forced down a bit of the meal herself, the appetite she'd had quickly fading.

Kylo's shoulders instantly tightened, providing Rey quite a dose of relief.

“Patience, persistence, and no shortage of luck, my sire,” said Kylo, words cordial, but they came out as a warning snarl.

Sidious simply refused to keep his eyes to himself, staring quite unabashedly at Rey's minimal cleavage, shaking his head in disbelief. “My fortunate nephew...If I were a younger man still in need of a bride-”

“Fortunately, Duchess Mothma proved herself to be an honorable wife and dutiful mother to your kin, Sheev,” interjected Earl Tyranus from across the way, staring daggers at Sidious, the use of another name throwing Rey off, for a moment. The Lord simpered, undeterred.

“Come now, brother, look at this pristine example of a Duster and convince me you wouldn't agree to such a union yourself.”

Rey's heart leapt into her throat.

_Brother?!_ she muttered in a panic, praying Kylo would hear her.

_Plagueis' oldest is Sheev Sidious, his middle son is Earl Abraham Tyranus, and his youngest is my sire, Emperor Snoke,_ Kylo rattled off, very concise and direct, the connection between them quick to snap shut again.

“I have no interest in taking a _wife_ , Sheev. You know better than anyone my loyalty and dedication are consumed with my work and my rule over my serfdom,” Tyranus said, voice a guttural, menacing growl.

“Speaking of your honorable wife, why is it that she wasn't able to attend this evening's festivities?” asked Kylo, suspiciously, turning on Sidious as well.

Sidious' smile was quick to leave his face.

“If you must know, nephew, dearest Mothma was in need of a sabbatical for her health. I'd appreciate it if you would not speak ill of your aunt _at our family's table,_ ” Sidious sneered, a completely different person than he'd been just a moment before, now an angry, vain, dangerous old man – not afraid to back up his slimy, underhanded threats with real action.

The servants circled the table and collected the fish plates, switching it out for a palette-cleanser of simple chicken broth.

“In any case, Lady Rey, take care with my nephew – he's notorious for his unpredictable temper,” Sidious said, returning to the persona of the smarmy, charismatic politician, the comment a final, underhanded insult to his Lord. Fortunately, Sidious lost interest in grooming Rey and became preoccupied with his food instead, turning silent.

With a shaky breath, Rey did the same, even as the other end of the table turned animated with meaningless prattle.

A few, tense minutes passed in utter silence betwixt them. The servants took away the small soup bowls, depositing a tiny main course of a small cut of beef and mashed tubers.

“...Then again, though I'm not as gifted as my Emperor brother when it comes to my intuition, even I can sense that there is more to Lady Rey than there appears to be...something truly special, and powerful too...” murmured Sidious, raising her ire even higher, but spoken so low that Rey prayed she could pretend not to have heard and leave the matter be.

But, unfortunately, Tyranus heard.

“On that score brother, I must agree. Your magickal signature is far too potent in the Ethereum to be merely that of a common Duster, Lady Rey. It appears to me you have not been entirely honest with us...” Tyranus said, severe eyes staring Rey in the face, accusatory.

“ _Pray-tell uncle_ ,” Kylo snapped, spine perfectly straight “Do you think I would have proposed to Lady Rey if I hadn't sensed something special in her?”

Tyranus startled, looking floored that his nephew would speak to him in such a manner.

“No, of course not, but-”

“Do you think _my sire_ would have approved of the match remotely, if all I'd stumbled upon was a Duster girl from the streets of _Jakku?_ ” Kylo hissed through his teeth, obsidian eyes flashing in anger under his visor.

“No, nephew, but-”

“ _Exactly_. Rey is a remarkable Duster with a perceptive mind, a brilliant intuition, and a Hellish willpower to out-class and out-fight any noble in this room. She is a force of nature and a Mystic to be reckoned with. And as _your Lord_ ,” growled Kylo, rising from his chair, the shadows bristling around him fervently, crackling and roiling with barely-restrained ferocity “I _forbid_ you from making such traitorous claims about _my wife_.”

The room fell briefly silent, the whole company's attention trained wearily on Kylo. He sat down, the picture of a composed strategist who'd won a brutal battle. Rey's heart took off at a million miles an hour, chest filling with grateful, appreciative warmth. Her pulse gave an additional little sheepish flutter. 'His wife', he'd called her, in front of everyone, without hesitation. She hadn't even formally accepted the engagement yet, still wanting to explore and consider a bit longer. But the sound of it was sweet. Somehow or another, it sounded blissfully right to her ears.

Tyranus waved away the servant who offered to exchange his half-eaten steak for the final, dessert course.

“No, thank you, I've had quite enough for one evening,” he said, rising from his chair and exiting the room with whatever shreds of his dignity remained, head held high.

Rey and Kylo both accepted the slices of chocolate cake, calmly.

Sidious, though disheartened, if his hungry eyes were any indication, had not given up yet.

“...In that case, does my lady have any sisters akin to herself? A mother looking to remarry, perhaps?”

“I have but one family member, an older brother, who, like me, is a Duster. Would he be of any interest to your Lordship?” Rey said, calm and demure as she took a sip of her red wine.

Sidious' eyes flashed with murderous fire at her implication, and he all but launched himself from his seat, storming from the room in anger, all of the servants jumping fearfully out of his path.

Rey hid her smile in another sip from her glass. Kylo alone saw her grin.

_My lady, you amaze me_ , he said, pure and love-struck again. His voice sounded like his natural tone inside her head, lacking any of the helmet's modulation.

She had to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid smiling as she polished off Daisy's delicious chocolate cake, popping the lone raspberry intended as garnish into her mouth with the last forkful.

_You can thank Madame Rose for her lessons in underhanded comments and press training for that. It's the only reason I've survived through even half of this night,_ she said in earnest, her voice taking on a softer, sweeter quality as she changed the topic of conversation.

_And, thank you, Kylo. I can't describe how grateful I am for your defense of me. That was very admirable of you._

Kylo's eyes crinkled briefly in a smile, onyx eyes winking, his presence in the Ethereum practically flushing.

_If it is unreasonably expected of you to put up with this demeaning drivel and remain perfectly impassive, the least I can do is shield you from the brunt of the blow with my power and influence. You deserve better, far better than the asteroid's lead my uncle just put you through, if you'll pardon my crude language._

_Pardoned in full, Kylo, as that was the perfect phrase for his actions,_ said Rey, with an internal bark of laughter. _It shall be us against the world then, my lord,_ she said, boldly offering him her glass in a toast.

Kylo's eyes seemed to widen in disbelief.

_What exactly are you saying, my lady?_

Rey blushed and seized her courage with both hands.

_You needn't fear me running off, Kylo, not anymore. I want to see this courtship through, to explore the connection between us, to get know you intimately...against my every expectation...I find myself quite smitten with you..._

His presence in the Ethereum spiked white and yellow in shock.

_Are you sure that's not just the drink talking, my lady? Not that I'm not thrilled, but-_

_I'm being serious._

His little, breathless laugh, was unspeakable joy incarnate.

_You'll really accept my courtship in earnest, then? Not just because I'd want you to stay, but...by choice?! You're interested in_ me _, with my volatile anger, instantly-changeable moods, terrible emotional management-_

_Kind heart, courageous spirit, fervent sincerity and all,_ Rey said with a smile.

His mask hid it, but she could clearly picture the brilliant, ecstatic smile that crossed his face as he clinked his glass against hers and parted the bottom of his mask to take a sip of the dark liquid.

_Provided you'll forgive my trespasses in kind, Kylo..._ Rey said, returning hesitantly, but necessarily to their earlier argument. _I knew the stories told about you, by heart, as a child. After the time we've spent together, I have seen your true heart in full, and accepted it. But navigating the gray-areas between Kylo Ren and the Man of Ashes – that is another, more difficult matter entirely that I still must wade and muddle through,_ she said, apologetic, but mostly explanatory.

_I understand completely, my lady,_ he said, nodding somberly, _Frankly, that is bog I'll have to journey through as well. But...I'll be glad to dredge through the swamp with you at my side, for company..._ he said, essence a bit delirious with his happiness.

Rey smiled at him, hoping to convey all her sweet sincerity with a single look.

...Then the Ethereum threw them from their happy moment, warping around them monstrously, as if it were being bent and stretched through a wormhole, frothing like a stormy sea. Kylo's utensils went flying as his shadows leapt in fear and anxiousness.

_Kylo-_

_It's my sire, he – he demands I speak with him immediately. I'm sorry, my lady, I must answer his summons and attend to his call. I cannot ignore the commands of my Emperor._

_Kylo, please, what if Mirialan – or Tyranus – or_ Sidious- Rey said, in a panicked rush, heart in her throat.

_Forgive me, my darling, I'll return to you as quickly as I can. Linger here as long as you're able, and stick to the shadows and stay out of sight once dinner ends._

His hand darted beneath the table to clasp hers as it rested on her knee, firm with his promise, and he swept from the room, walking at a quick clip, dark cloak swirling in his wake as he turned the corner.


	21. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Engagement Ball continues. Many things go horribly, horribly wrong.  
> But the one thing that matters goes wonderfully right.
> 
> Music for Kylo and Rey's tango: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgAlQuqzl8o  
> Sections to listen to: 0:52 to 1:29, and 2:23 to 3:43.
> 
> A reminder that Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, and Explicit Language are part of this fic's tags.

Rey sat at the table, trying to make herself look as small as possible, until all the other members of the Court had finished their dinner and the servants were practically begging for her to leave so they could clean up the dining room.

Rey rose from her seat begrudgingly, and, scanning the hallway for any guests, scurried down the hall to the Conservatory's hidden entrance, hoping no one else would have thought to retreat there. On her way to the gardens, she scanned the hallway in the hope that she, at least, might run into Marchioness Tano, who'd at least proven herself to be decent company. No such luck.

Regardless, the gardens were thankfully empty, and Rey wandered the paths idly, her heart-rate calming as she took in the sight of the soft greens and glimmers of colorful blooms in the dark.

Many long, quiet minutes passed in her wanderings. Rey kept glancing at the clock above one door, waiting impatiently for Kylo's return. What was so important that the Emperor insisted on discussing it with him now?

Suddenly, she turned a corner in the cobblestone path, and spotted the dark silhouettes of two tall gentlemen ahead of her in a secluded copse.

Rey held her breath, slapping her hand over her mouth, and began to retreat as silently as she could. Maybe there'd be no one on the path back the way she came...

“...Excuse me, my lady, but would you be so kind as to grace us with your company?” called one of the men, cordially, his accent clipped and precise, resembling the one Hux spoke with.

Dammit, she hadn't been quiet enough. There was nothing to be done. Rey took a monstrous breath for courage and approached.

Both men, judging by their crisp, dark gray, and white uniforms, were clearly retired and decorated Imperial military officers. By her count of the stripes of their insignia, the older of the two had been a General, the younger a Commander.

“Earl Wilhuff Tarkin, at your service, my lady,” said the older of the two Mystics, gray hair showing signs of receding in his retirement, giving her a low bow. The man beside him followed suite. “This is my son, Sir Orson Krennic,” said the Earl, gesturing at the man at his shoulder.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Rey said, politely.

“Trying to get a moment alone, in the midst of chaos?” asked Krennic, clasping his hands behind his back. From the gentle smile and slight twinkle in his light-colored eyes, he was making a jest. Rey relaxed, if just a hair.

“Quite so, Sir Krennic. So many new faces and prestigious people – it's bit much to take in one night, especially for a humble Duster like myself that lived my whole life in the same town,” she said, a little breathless with her relief at Krennic's sympathetic chuckle.

“I cannot imagine, having grown up among the Court. But you have my complete sympathies, Lady Rey,” he said kindly, his presence in the Ethereum coloring towards sincerity. But of course, she was a woman on her way up, and her intuition sensed he had his own hidden agendas in being kind to her, too.

“Would you like me to tell you a few anecdotes about the Court, so that you may get to know them as people, and less so as their public facades-”

“Orson, you daft fool, can you not see the lady is parched?” snapped the father suddenly, his comment flying out of nowhere.

The former Commander crumpled under his father's domineering glare.

“Apologies, father. I shall attend to Lady Rey's needs promptly...” And the Commander scuttled out of the Conservatory like a scolded puppy, white cape flapping pitifully behind him.

Rey's focus darted back to the imposing, shrewd General, instantly suspicious.

“Earl Tarkin, why-”

“I'm a Telepath you see, my lady. I'm very perceptive to the needs of others – even compared to a Duster with your expansive intuition...” murmured the gray-haired man quietly, as if lost in thought. Something about the calm, careful, legato rhythm of his speech struck her as soothing, and her suspicions settled, at least a little.

“With all due respect, sir, I wasn't in need of a drink...” Rey murmured in retort, but then the General's gray eyes locked with hers and her words puttered to a stop. She found she'd inexplicably, suddenly, lost the desire to speak further.

His eyes simply commanded that kind of respect.

Though her heart-beat was quickly calming, the longer she held his gaze, the more frantically a niggling thought in the back of her mind began waving red flags in warning.

“Fascinating,” murmured Tarkin, curious, but not in a clinical, scientific sort of way.

There was a soothing warmth to his words, a desire to really _understand._ She could almost feel his presence rooting around her mind in the Ethereum, but she felt completely relaxed about the matter. He didn't tear through her mind manically, forcefully, like Kylo or Snoke did. He was gently exploring the stores of her knowledge and memories like a scholar wandering the stacks of an esteemed library, reverently drinking in every detail. It was a very pleasant change.

“For a woman with such a strong constitution, you are a dreamer at heart,” Tarkin observed, reading her personality like an open book. Rey shouldn't have liked it one bit, yelled the little inner voice – it was invasive, crude, disrespectful.

But, then again, he wasn't wrong, and his search through her was so gentle and considerate...

“I suppose I have always worn my heart on my sleeve, General,” she admitted with an honest shrug.

“All you want is respect, understanding, safety, love...this is very common dream among female Mystics, perfectly normal ambitions...” Tarkin murmured, so soft and lilting was his voice that Rey felt herself drawn towards him, ears straining to hear his thorough dissection of her character.

“And yet, your perception is very keen. You've seen through the cracks in the Man of Ashes and found a humble Mystic instead. You love him,” he said. It wasn't a question, but it was the furthest thing from accusatory.

“Against my every expectation...yes,” Rey muttered, wandering closer still, her gaze narrowing sharply. The pinpoint of her focus became the flecks of silver in Tarkin's intense gray irises. She didn't want to look away.

“But how could you ever _trust_ a man who has such power and privilege,” whispered Tarkin, just a step from her now.

“With time. And p-patience and practice,” she stuttered, getting tongue-tied. Tarkin _clicked_ his tongue, and her words caught in her throat.

“But you _don't_ trust him. You fear his power, and rightly so – it is _terrifying_. What you're looking for, if you only peel back the layers of your childhood fantasy of a prince charming, is a man with enough influence in the galaxy to take care of you...but not so much that they would wish to claim you. A free-spirited Duster's scarf should never be cut short...”

“Yes, my independence is very important to me...” Rey breathed, her words beginning to slur together clumsily. Maybe she _had_ had too much to drink.

“Lady Rey, what you most need is a union with a more modest Mystic, with a more manageable rank,” murmured Tarkin.

It was like a moment of epiphany, a light suddenly shining down starkly on her entire situation – he was absolutely right. Kylo was dangerous – showering her with compliments was not the same as protecting her, sheltering her. And what did she think, that she'd simply nudge him towards learning to control his anger, and he'd follow suite? He was a Mystic, not a dog.

She had no hope of training him. The Earl was right.

And yet still, the irritating little voice was yelling in fervent protest; he _had_ saved her, a number of times – from the Emperor, from Hux, from himself. He cared about her, wanted terribly to truly know her, and take care of her.

Rey waved off the inner voice like it was a troublesome fly.

_Sod off..._ she told it. She wanted Tarkin to keep talking, his voice was so lovely to listen to...

“Yes. Of more modest rank...” Rey said, her vision inexplicably growing foggy, no matter how much she tried to blink back the bleary, white mass.

“Someone who has tired of games, is older and wiser, and won't play around with you, a man of an integrity, and valor. A retired, military officer, perhaps?” Tarkin whispered, his voice close to her ear, and she hung on to every musical word.

“A military leader, someone who's held power responsibly...” Rey gurgled, tongue starting to feel like a lead weight in her mouth. It took so much effort to use it.

...Maybe she was better off not speaking at all...

...She hoped Tarkin wouldn't mind if she fell asleep on his shoulder mid-sentence either. She didn't want him to think her rude, but she was starting to feel so _tired_...

“...Someone, like my son, perhaps?” he offered, casually. Rey shook her head dully.

“I couldn't be with a spineless man like that...”

Her heart-rate had slowed so much, and her eyelids were so, so heavy...was she about to pass out or die...?

...Did it even matter which it was?

“Myself then?” Tarkin asked, his gray eyes consuming her field of vision as she hit something solid.

Oh...she'd stumbled into him. She smiled at him, sleepy and dumb.

“You?” she chuckled, drunkenly lolling her head “Very funny, General, you're too old for me...”

“Age is just a number, my lady...” Tarkin whispered, the sound like a lullaby. She giggled, finding his joke hilarious, her vision nearly white with mist.

...What that darkness, creeping in on the sides?

Huh...she _was_ going to pass out...fair enough...

“So, what say you, my lady? Will you agree to a union with a smarter, wiser man? Someone more experienced, who will lovingly take care of you?” Tarkin murmured, and Rey's head collapsed against his shoulder.

Her sight was truly going now...at any moment, only the dark would remain...

Then, his arms wrapped around her to hold her up, clutching her tight against him.

His touch went through her like an electric shock. Her vision cleared, her mind was her own again.

Her fury rose to her aid immediately, and she tensed to fight, to kick, to punch, to bite, to claw at him until the sick, disgusting monster let her go.

But she could only move her eyes, could only draw breath. Her limbs wouldn't obey her commands, no matter how hard she tried.

“Hmm, pity,” hummed the General, voice not sounding quite so pretty anymore “I would have loved to get your freely given consent. This will have to do I suppose...” muttered the pedophilic General, hefting her like a wooden beam, and propping her back against a thick-trunked banana tree, a delirious hunger in his eyes.

Rey ripped her gaze from his the second she felt its hypnotic pull again.

“ _Look at me_ , my lady,” growled the monster, forcing up her chin. She refused, staring over his head, the only bit of stubborn rebellion she was capable of mustering. He coughed in hateful laughter. “You want to be taken and be fully aware of it? _Fine_. Be my guest and suffer, Duster filth,” hissed Tarkin, beginning to hike up her skirts.

The scream built inside her, but her throat, her tongue, her vocal cords refused to cry for help – only her breath still moved smoothly through her body to keep her conscious.

Rey did the only thing she could think to do.

Her intuition sprinted through the Ethereum, her pace frantic, desperate. Her eyes began to cry in fear of her own accord as Tarkin exposed her legs to the humid Conservatory air, and began to reach for her undergarments.

She flew and she searched and she reached desperately for the extended bridge, the connection between her and Kylo's minds, whipping around for it in the stardust like a broken rope caught in a hurricane.

Then suddenly, out of the nebulous blue, there he was, a ball of fire surrounded by a billowing cloud of smoke.

She charged and their thoughts _collided_ , violent and sudden and intrusive, to the point that he stopped speaking to the Emperor mid-sentence.

He didn't have a millisecond to ask why.

_**KYLO, HELP ME!!!!** _

She was screaming – screaming bloody murder and panic and hysterical fear in his mind because Tarkin had pulled her panties down around her ankles and was pressing her up against the tree and was breathing down her neck and something heated and hard touched her thigh-

_WHAM!!_

The fiery sword flew out of the dark with bone-breaking force, Kylo following it as he stepped out of the shadows of the garden's blind alley. The flat of his blade slammed into Tarkin's skull, spontaneously burning his skin on contact, blistering it was disgusting boils, even as the bone beneath split with a sickening _crack_.

He collapsed to the floor, gray eyes wide and unseeing, head leaking blood in his unconscious state. For good measure, Kylo plunged his sword into the rapist's chest.

Rey's muscle control returned to her in a rush the moment Tarkin was dead. She collapsed to floor in a heap, feeling like the bones had been removed from her legs.

She sobbed, chest heaving, and in embarrassment and shame, she tugged her panties back up her legs before Kylo could turn and see her like this.

But, eventually, he did turn, retracting the flame sword with the guttering cross-guard back into his palm, facing her with ashes fluttering from his shoulders, and tears glittering in his hazel eyes, just visible in the half-light.

He crouched down next to her slowly, like he was tending to a scared, injured animal that might lash out.

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice raw and choked with tears. The dam broke, and Rey couldn't stop crying.

“ _I couldn't move!!_ ” she howled, voice wracked with pain “ _I couldn't scream, I couldn't fight, I couldn't do anything!!!_ ” she screamed, shaking and shuddering, hugging her elbows, nails digging into her flesh.

Now that she was lucid, it was all too obvious he had lied. Tarkin hadn't been a Telepath at all. The monster had been a Siren.

“I'm sorry...” Kylo said, voice hiccupping as his tears began to flow too “ _I'm so sorry..._ ”

“ _ **What the fuck is wrong with them?!?!**_ ” Rey screamed, hoarse and possessed “ _ **Who fucking taught them that they could go around, doing that to people – who in their right mind-?!**_ ”

“ _They're not in their right minds! They're crazy! All of them are fucking crazy!!_ ” Kylo yelled in kind, and the heart she could feel through their tumultuous, vibrating, shaking bond, was torn in two with grief and anger.

Rey lost her ability to speak. She sobbed into her hands, openly and totally consumed by her tears for five minutes? Thirty? Sixty? Ninety? She had no way of telling.

“ _I just don't understand,_ ” she wailed, voice high with her hysteria, as she swiped at her running nose with her forearm. “ _Why would they do this? Is it me?!_ ”

“No, Rey,” said Kylo, meeting her gaze, eyes steeled and brow creased with terrible anger. “It is _not you_. It's them, and their sick quests for power, or revenge, or the impression that they can take whatever they fucking want. They're diseased, every single one of them,” he said, voice breaking

He descended into retching sobs of his own, burying his face in his palms.

“ _And I'm so_ _ **fucking**_ _sorry this keeps happening to you!!_ ”

“No...” Rey whispered, finding her composure, voice still thick with messy tears. Kylo didn't respond immediately, still heaving, but when his breathing steadied enough again for him to hear, Rey repeated herself.

“What?” he said, blinking blearily up at her. His eyes were bloodshot.

“They're not all diseased, Kylo. You're not. You saved me,” she said, congested.

Kylo blinked rapidly, unspeakably profound relief filling his gaze.

“You're okay?! He didn't-”

“Another close call. And I have you to thank...” Kylo shook his head, praise clearly the furthest thing from his mind.

“So long as you're okay, that's the only thing that matters-”

She threw herself into arms.

He paused, surprised for a moment. Then his arms flew to surround her and held her close. She buried her face in his shoulder with another quiet sniffle, and he gripped her tighter, as if he was trying to press into her very bones the sensation that she was _safe_.

“I'm here, my darling, I'm _here._ No one's going to lay a hand on you ever again, I _swear_ it. I'll keep you under 24-hour guard, I'll go without sleep, whatever it takes...” he said, voice warbling with unshed tears.

“I know, sweetheart, you don't have to swear that to me. I believe you,” Rey said, fingers gathering bunches of his velvet jacket in her fists, to hold him as tightly as she could, to prove to herself that he was real.

“ _Thirteen Hells_ , you don't deserve this. No one deserves this,” he swore, his words not particularly directed at anyone.

He silently rubbed her back in slow, long strokes for several silent minutes, and her skin drank in his body warmth as if it was the Ethereum's life-force itself, replenishing her strength.

“May the Gods strike me down if I _ever_ do wrong by you. You deserve all the love I have to give you and more,” he murmured, a teardrop _plopping_ wetly onto her hair, and his hand came up to tenderly cradle her neck and the back of her head in his palm.

In ordinary circumstances, she would have melted at his touch, and the sweetness with which his thumb brushed the nape of her neck.

For the moment, all she did was hiccup with one last sob.

She had to do something. Something to convey the wealth of emotions she felt – her thanks, her relief, her gratitude, but more than that, the happiness he gave her in the everyday.

She needed to show him she loved him.

She'd picked up her head from his shoulder and met his tearful gaze, determined to kiss him, here and now, wet and messy and earnest and imperfect, when the Conservatory doors flew open.

Fortunately, it wasn't Orson Krennic who entered, but Daisy.

“My lord, the evening is coming to a close. The Court asks that you lead them in one final dance-” Daisy began cordially, her voice stopping in horrified silence, as she caught sight of Tarkin's dead body.

Kylo whipped in Daisy's direction, not even caring to draw up his helm around him. It was dark in the garden, anyhow

“ _Tell the Court I said they can kindly go fuck themselves_ -” Kylo snapped, eyes sparking with Inferi fire, his whole body turning black as night, as if lit from within by his furious shadows. Rey squeezed his arm and managed to quiet him and his shadow energy.

“My lady, what happened?!” Daisy shrieked in terror.

“He forced himself upon me – tried to rape me...” Rey said, woodenly, haltingly, refusing to call Tarkin by name, merely nodding in the corpse's direction to make her accusation clear.

Daisy's expression turned mortified and mournful.

“My lady – I am so sorry-” Rey wasn't sure how, but she found her legs and stood.

“It doesn't matter. Kylo defended my honor and it's done,” she said firmly. Daisy nodded fervently in understanding.

“Gather a few of your most trusted staff, Daisy, and dispose of and clean up after the body – quietly,” Kylo ordered, rising too, his tone much gentler but leaving no room for argument.

“Yes, my lord, right away. What of the man's son, my lord?” Daisy asked, frantic, but alert.

Kylo exchanged a look with Rey.

“He sent Orson Krennic to get me a drink, so we would be alone...” Rey said, equal parts explanation and horrible realization.

Kylo's intuition expanded like a blown-up balloon, and he searched the whole ship in the Ethereum. Finding his answer, he nodded slowly in relief.

“He apparently got distracted by the wine so much, he passed out at the bar. I'll figure something out to cover the disappearance up, fret not, my lady,” Kylo reassured her, a tender hand on her shoulder, and knowing what he had at his disposal, she had every confidence in him.

“You're still expected back on the dance floor, my lord,” Daisy murmured, low and scared.

“Not after what's happened to my lady,” Kylo said, fervent, but refraining from directing any more anger at the servant “Tell the guests she's exhausted and that we've retired for the night, whatever it takes to convince them and shut up them up-”

“No,” Rey interjected.

Kylo's wide eyes turned to her.

“What do you mean 'no,' my lady?”

“I don't want them to think anything is wrong – I don't even want to give them reason to suspect. It's just one dance and then we can close the book on this dreadful evening, once and for all,” Rey said, leveling her determined gaze at her fiancé.

His brow furrowed in displeasure, but after a moment of reflection, he let out a sigh.

“Fine. One dance and we're gone.”

“I can send for someone to help you clean up your makeup, my lady?” Daisy offered, kindly.

“Phasma – send for Phasma. I'll wait for her as long as it takes – she's the only one I trust. Thank you, Daisy,” Rey said, voice flooding with relief. Taking a curtsy of leave, Daisy sprinted to her work.

Phasma arrived within three minutes, heaving, armed with Rey's makeup in a travel bag. Situating her next to one of the stronger garden lights, Phasma cleaned off the streaks of mascara and liner and touched up Rey's look, quick and immaculate, even as Daisy and her squadron of servants snuck the body out of the Conservatory on a gurney and began mopping up the blood.

“Have the officers log a departure in the ship record and scrap the General's transport for parts. Have the manifest say Tarkin was heading for the Outer Rim, somewhere remote and far enough that even if Krennic goes looking for his father, it will take him an egregiously long time to get there,” instructed Kylo to Phasma, the six-pointed star helmet concealing his face again.

“Understood, my lord. Where should the escape pod with Tarkin's body be sent?” the Captain asked, direct and concise, as if they were talking about a matter with no more consequence than the weather.

“Anywhere where the pod can disappear in an ocean, or get buried in a desert or a lava pit. Strip it of any trackers before you launch it. And wipe _The Desiderata_ 's records of the launch and destination – make it looked like it was a malfunction in the wiring.”

“That's bound to piss off the radar technicians to no end – trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist because it was masterminded,” Phasma rebuttaled, turning Rey's head this way and that, examining her handy-work in the half-light through the visor of her helmet.

“Thirteen Hells – now I have to start paying off _the radar technicians?_ ” Kylo swore, fists clenching and unclenching, desperately needing an outlet for his frustration. Rey, however, brightened.

“Not all of them. Just one, one who met me and who's respect I earned.”

“Who?” Kylo asked, whirling on her, pleasantly surprised.

“Matt. I don't know his surname, but Daisy can fill him in on everything he needs to know. He'll help take care of the cover-up, I'm sure of it.” The Frost Fae's blue eyes pierced her from the opposite end of the room, as she gripped her mop with white-knuckles.

“They're colleagues; they've worked together before and they trust one another completely,” Rey quickly explained, thinking on her feet, not wanting to expose Daisy's secret dalliance and cost her and Matt their jobs.

“Can you handle it? Can this 'Matt' be trusted to keep silent?” Kylo said, turning to Daisy, who straightened stiffly, blue glow fading instantly.

“Absolutely, your Lordship.”

“I will hold you to that, Daisy,” he said, pointedly, jabbing a stern finger her way “No one can know.”

“Understood, your Lordship. This never happened,” Daisy said, returning to her mopping.

Phasma sighed and shut the eye-shadow palette in her palm.

“I've done the best I can, my lady. Your appearance is subtly different, but I doubt anyone will notice.”

“Thank you, Phasma,” Rey said, gripping the Dragoon's shoulder like iron so her fervence would come across.

The Captain leveled a nod at her lady.

“Anything for your Ladyship,” she responded in kind, both formal and adamant.

Rey rose and took the elbow Kylo offered to her, taking a moment to adjust her long skirts.

They walked from the Conservatory with their heads held high.

The ballroom was abuzz with raised voices, suspicion thick in the Ethereum. The second the Court caught sight of the engaged couple, however, relief swept over the crowd and the gossiping died.

“The hour grows late, my Imperial family. Let us part-take in one last dance, and retire to our beds,” Kylo officiated with a faux air of importance, and the Court was quick to morph and sift as those with partners took up space on the dance floor.

Reaching the quartz floor and nodding at the orchestra to begin, Kylo settled his gaze on Rey and rested his hand on her waist in a considerate, comforting sort of way.

_Just keep your eyes on me, my lady, and we'll get through this,_ he breathed into her mind, alert and weary, but trying to reassure her all the same.

Rey nodded, placing her trust in the kindness she saw in those dark eyes.

Then her heart leapt with panic.

_Stars, the third dance of the night. This one will be the tango, won't it?_

As if in answer, the orchestra struck up with zeal, and Kylo pulled her down into a low, dramatic dip, their legs resting in mirrored lunges that were nearly splits.

_Just follow my lead,_ he murmured, giving her right hand clutched in his a quick, reassuring squeeze. Rey's breath of courage was shaky, but all the same, she remembered to take it.

They rose and began to trace figure eights on the floor with their dramatic, wide gait, fierce and passionate in their movements, though Rey could only feel the anxious racing of her heart as she tried to let her muscle-memory guide her instead of being driven by her uncertain train of thought.

In spite of the twitching, fluttering anxiety, Rey followed her fiancé just fine, whirling with the music, turning and posing abruptly as the routine required, sticking close to his side where she felt safe. It did not escape her notice that even when their hips were supposed to be flush with one another, he kept at least an inch-wide gap between them. Her relief must have palpable in the Ethereum, because he gave her a subtle nod, which she returned with a grateful smile as they pirouetted into a promenade step that crescendo into a swan lift.

Rey flew without a single fear of falling, keeping her eyes locked on Kylo's warm coals.

Back on earth, they spun rapidly, gait reaching and footwork sharp and whipping as they covered the floor, claiming it as theirs. Still Kylo didn't allow himself to come too close during the routine's more passionate moments. However, in a moment he was supposed to lift her onto his hip, and there was no way to sterilize that move.

_Kylo, it's okay..._ she whispered to him, resting her head on his chest for a moment in reassurance.

He understood her meaning, if the relaxing of his stiff, wound shoulders was any indication. He hefted her against him, firm and secure, and held kept her close once he'd set her back on her feet.

Certainly their rehearsal had proved more passionate in some ways. But this was a loving tango, not a lustful one. At the most, their hips brushed together in passing a brief, friendly, lightly flirtatious sort of way, and Rey's heart swelled with warmth, with relief, with a profound feeling of comfort that he understood what she needed so completely...

If only he hadn't put the damned helmet back on, she could kiss him at the dance's conclusion.

But the dance's end never came.

The fifteen piece orchestra on their little stage in the corner suddenly gave a shrill shriek, strings vibrating in a horrible clash. The Court screamed in surprise, and then fear as it became apparent that Earl Tyranus had been shoved into the orchestra by Sidious, as he danced with his daughter-in-law Marchioness Tano. Lady Skyre, Tyranus' partner, could only look on in abject shock.

The Earl rose with murder in his dark eyes, and Kylo released Rey, whipping around so that he stood in front of her, a flesh-and-blood shield, one arm thrown out behind him, protectively grasping for her waist to make sure she was still there.

Rey understood and clamped his hand to her waist, clutching his palm firmly in hers.

“Forgive me, brother,” said Sidious, slimy and snarling as ever “Couldn't see you there, the sauntering, low-blooded whore blocked you from view.” Tyranus' eyes flared, flecks of white sparking among the orange flame. He was a Pyrite, then.

“How _dare_ you, speak about Lady Skyre that way-” he shouted, incredulous.

“Normal noblewomen don't give birth to a bastard Mantis, brother,” spat Sidious. Tyranus looked like he could make water boil with a mere look.

“ _This is the last time you slight me, you bloody coward,_ ” growled Tyranus, dangerous and low as a broadsword of plasma erupted from his palm, brought down in a over-head swing intended to sever Sidious' head from his shoulders.

A whip of lightning shot from Sidious' wrist and wrapped around the blade, pulling with brutal force and sending the Earl flying through the air, crashing into the stairs on the ballroom's other side. The Court and the pair's dance partners dove for cover, screaming, Kylo backing up and putting as much distance between Rey and the dueling lords as possible.

Rey's heart was racing with adrenaline as she watched the battle unfold.

Sidious shot lightning at the chandelier and every bulb spontaneously exploded, plunging the room into darkness as the company shrieked. Even out of range of the showering glass, Kylo still threw his cloak over her protectively. Tyranus' sword now the only light to see by, the Earl dragged himself to his feet, roared in rage and charged. Sidious grinned in victory, and even as the Earl sprinted towards him, he gathered his magick about him and constructed a bow out of bolts of lightning, so bright it hurt to stare at. He nocked a cruel, yellow, razor-tipped-bolt of an arrow, and loosing with pin-point accuracy.

With a yell of panic and rage, Kylo charged forward into the fray. A scream tore from Rey's throat.

Kylo's sword flared into existence, slashing through the arrow and scattering the electricity about the room in wide, split arcs.

“ _You shall not spill blood on my ship, uncle – not on this night!_ ” her Inferi fiancé roared, leveling the point of his blade at Sidious.

His wrinkled uncle sneered, petulantly.

“As if you care for any one of our lives!” the old man spat “You just want to avoid one of us being murdered on your watch, because my weak brother owns your soul!!”

“If my sire is so weak, uncle, then why is he Emperor, and not _you?_ ” Kylo shot back. He knew it was a mistake as soon as the words had left his mouth.

Sidious let out an unearthly shriek of rage, a lightning whip launching from each hand. Tyranus rounded his nephew and deflected his brother's deadly shots with his broadsword.

“This fight is between us, nephew! Don't waste your life on our account!” Tyranus shot over his shoulder, beginning his assault on Sidious, cutting his lightning whips to ribbons until he was within range.

_Kylo, please!_ Rey begged in his mind, terrified for his life as he deflected the lightning scraps in their hay-wire paths to escape once cut from the whole, as the duel between Sidious and Tyranus grew more and more ferocious.

_I have to do something, Rey! I can't just stand by and let them kill each other – the whole ship could go up in flames in the process, and all of us with it!_ He yelled back, frantic and blocking stray bolts with furious speed.

But he wasn't fast enough.

A ricocheting shot from Sidious' ever-faster and stronger whips of lightning, as he tried to level a hit on his foaming-at-the-mouth brother, impacted Kylo's thigh and he dropped to his knees with a scream of pain.

At that very moment, Tyranus managed to slice Sidious' arm, the Mystic roaring in pain as droplets of blood arced darkly through the lightning-lit air.

“ _ENOUGH!!!_ ” he screamed, gathering up all the room's energy, convalescing it to a single point. The energy well exploded, and Tyranus was hit with the full force of several dozen lightning bolts at once, sent tumbling end over end until he hit the floor with a thunderous _crack_ and didn't stir.

Sidious breathed a sickening sigh of satisfaction, looking content...but only for a moment. Then his gaze darkened dangerously, and he turned to face Kylo.

“My foolish little nephew, trying to keep his Mystic uncles from fighting...Do you think yourself stronger than us – you spoiled prince!” Sidious spat on the floor in disgust, in insult “You're not a member of this family. You are filthy, outsider blood, given power you are not worthy to wield!! It's time someone knocked you off your high horse!”

He grinned wickedly.

“And certainly, even my dense brother will understand the message the death of his favorite pupil will convey...”

Sidious summoned up another lightning whip, took aim, and heaved the bolt in a huge arc.

Rey didn't even think.

Her feet just moved of their own accord as she sprinted to Kylo, sliding to a stop on her knees in front of him, holding up her arms and praying.

...When she'd opened her eyes from scrunching them closed in fear, the tip of Sidious' whip had wrapped itself around her starlight staff, blocking the blow. The tendril of lightning flashed in warning, but the protective, energy-harnessing matter of her magickal weapon kept the electricity from entering her body.

She gasped in relief, even as Sidious' victorious grin was wiped from his face.

He lurched to counter-attack and disappeared with a yelp, seeming to have fallen right through the floor. The lightning whip snapped in half as _The Desiderata's_ emergency lights flickered on and the shadows retreated from where they'd pooled on the floor underneath Sidious.

Glancing around, bewildered, Rey's ears caught the sound of someone clicking their tongue in disapproval.

“My head-strong, proud boy,” murmured Lord Plagueis, in his high, aged voice, the tendrils of shadows fluttering from his fingertips as he released them from his clenched fist. “He never learns.”

“Lord Plagueis, what – what did you do to him? Where did you send him?” Kylo gasped through his helmet's modulator.

“Somewhere else, where he won't disturb us any time soon. My boy never was skilled at traveling through shadows,” said Plagueis, wizened features twisting into a mischievous, conspiratorial grin. “Now I don't know about all of you, but I've had more than enough excitement for one night. Let us all retire,” he suggested, and not one of his family members were shaking their heads in disagreement.

The crowd made for the stairs, wandering up as servants raced to get Earl Tyranus on a gurney and rush him to the med-bay. Rey stood, turning her staff, winding the lingering lightning bolt around it as if she was trying to roast a spit, until the stringy bolt was completely wrapped around the staff, melted into its the quarterstaff's essence, and vanished.

Plagueis was one of the last to leave the ballroom, watching as Rey dismissed her staff and bent down to offer Kylo her shoulder to lean on, helping him to his feet.

“Wonderful party, grand-nephew,” said Plagueis, patting Kylo on the shoulder familiarly, on his way out.

~*~*~*~

Rey helped Kylo limp back to his room, the Inferi groaning and wincing the whole way. Rey suggested traveling through shadows to get there faster, but Kylo only grunted out two words in response: “ _Too – weak._ ”

So, they took the long way back to the heart of the ship and their secluded suites.

Rey helped Kylo settle on the end of his bed, and then took a moment to inhale deeply and catch her breath. Her fiancé was as heavy as a marble statue, and just as unyielding to carry.

“Okay...” Rey finally said with a huff, crouching down on the floor in front of him. He was heaving too, his helmet long gone. “I'm going to attempt to heal your leg,” she said, knowing someone had to attend to his injuries – and who better than she, who, if successful, could heal it instantly?

“Please don't phrase it like that,” Kylo exclaimed, nervously, thigh flinching away from her reaching fingers.

“What do you mean?” she asked, perturbed. His hazel eyes were round with fear.

“Either heal it or don't heal it – don't _attempt_ to heal it – that makes it sound like you might make it worse-!”

“I will if you don't shut up and sit still!” Rey snapped, firmly pressing her palms on his injured thigh, ripping a low groan out of him. She ignored the stuttering in her stomach that reminded her she was brazenly clutching his muscular thigh.

“Sorry – burn or bleeding?” she asked, focusing on the task at hand.

“You ask as if you've done this before,” Kylo said, throat closed tight with pain.

“Says the person who always had faith in my magicks, even when I didn't myself,” Rey retorted, firm, but not angry. Kylo grimaced.

“It's more burn, but it's definitely bleeding too.”

“Yes, I can feel the moisture of that now. Okay, just relax...” Rey said, speaking as much to herself as to him.

She shut her eyes and dipped into the Ethereum and into his essence with ease, encouraging growth and hope and repair in his sinews and ligaments and skin, no differently than she would have in the cells of a plant, essence lighting up at her gentle command readily, magenta and orange and yellow with murmuring energy. The tricky part was convincing the droplets of blood to retreat back into his veins. Loyalty, she figured, would be the closest emotional persuasion she could connect it to. The drops flew back into the wound, as if magnetically drawn to the source. Then, with a big of courage, comfort, and closure, the laceration snapped shut, and his skin stitched itself back together. She doubted there would even be a scar.

Rey popped her eyes open one at a time and shot him an I-told-you-so smile. Kylo tested his leg, moving it about and then standing, his eyebrows lifted in awe.

“My lady, I owe you an apology,” he said, offering her a crooked smile that made her stomach do a little victory flip. She stood.

“Just take this in exchange for tonight's rescue and we'll call it even,” she said, smiling bitter-sweetly.

Realization washed over him, potent and heavy and his smile vanished.

He ran a hand through his hair, looking utterly exhausted.

“Thirteen Hells, this night couldn't have been more of a disaster...” he sighed.

“Well-” Rey began, a little shy and sing-songy, hoping to turn the conversation in the romantic direction she was hoping for. He shot that desire down with dour, sarcastic look. Rey back-peddled. “No, you're right, I'm sorry-”

“How could you possibly think otherwise?!” Kylo exclaimed, aghast, the dam of his frustrations breaking wide open.

“Maul accosted me, most of the Court was _unspeakably_ rude to you, Sidious had the nerve to _groom_ you, my sire dragged me away from you, my uncles tried to murder each other and YOU-” he yelled, forehead pinching in despair like he could cry all over again. He tentatively reached for her, and Rey let him cup her face between his palms without hesitation.

He was holding back his tears again, eyes turning red with the effort.

“I shouldn't have left you,” he whispered, brokenly “THIRTEEN HELLS, IF ONLY I'D STAYED-”

“Kylo, please – don't blame yourself,” Rey begged. It was hardly his fault, and it hurt her to see him like this.

He sobbed, dryly.

“How can I forgive myself, knowing I left to talk to Snoke about _absolutely, Gods-damn_ _ **nothing**_ , and you nearly had your innocence ripped from you in the process?” he gasped, clutching her like she was a porcelain doll in danger of breaking.

“Because you're the very reason I _wasn't_ hurt, too, and I can never thank you enough,” Rey whispered, reaching up to cup his cheeks as well. She caught the tears with pads of her thumbs as they began to trace paths along his cheeks, caring little about the dampness that accumulated on her gloves.

“Please don't cry, Kylo. I'm okay...” Rey murmured, her heart beginning to race. They were nearly chest to chest. He was still terribly tall, but her heels helped close the gap a little, so he was not so towering that she couldn't stretch up on her tip-toes and reach his lips.

If there was going to be a moment, this was it.

But Kylo found such profound solace in her touch, his bleeding heart healing with her contact, and he turned his head and practically nuzzled into her palm, distracting her. Rey blushed furiously, her giggle just a puff of breath, delighted and surprised.

Then, her fiancé's brow furrowed in confusion, and his hands left her face, reaching for her wrist.

“What is that?” he murmured, rubbing the back of her hand, fixating on the knuckle of her fourth finger. Rey held her breath in elation – she'd nearly forgotten it herself.

He circled the ruby with his thumb once, twice, and then went stock-still, eyes wide as dinner plates.

Rey couldn't help the smile that curled her lips. She reached up and pulled off both her gloves, right first, though she ripped off both fairly quickly.

Kylo's gloved hands reached to clasp hers, staring in utter bewilderment at his engagement ring. Eventually, after a full minute of gaping and gawking, he found his voice.

“My lady...I don't understand...” he breathed, voice so thin she worried he was in danger of fainting. She smiled at him shyly, overwhelmed by the complete disbelief and the glimmers of delight in the warm, golden flecks in his eyes.

“I felt it was time to wear it. It seemed right, it's as simple as that,” she said, with a slight shrug.

His smile was twitching, hesitant. Like he was stopping himself from fully embracing his joy for fear that he was totally wrong.

He didn't need to pose his question out-loud for her to know what it was. It was utterly apparent in everything – it was in his gaze, in his short, gasps of breath, in the racing pulse in his palm as he clutched her fingers, his lips were pursed in the shape of the word, just waiting to breathe out the question: _Why?_

Rey took a deep breath and leapt, hands clutching his shoulders, reaching up on her tiptoes until her lips collided with his. Her eyes slipped shut, and she tried not to lose herself completely to the sensation. His lips were softer than she'd imagined, and so _warm_. She tasted a hint of the bitter-sweet red wine on him, as she, hesitant, and inexperienced, tried to enfold his lips with hers.

She avoided out-right puckering her lips together childishly, which was good. And while it wasn't quite the melt-in-your-mouth, smooth exchange she'd been hoping for, his mouth was soft and supple and sweet and it felt wonderfully _right_ to kiss him.

After a beat, she pulled away, not wanting to over-stay her welcome.

He was frozen, still as a statue with shock.

She bit her lip, a little nervous. It hadn't that been bad, had it? It was her first kiss, after all...She decided to be optimistic.

“Goodnight, Kylo,” she said, smiling sweetly, planting her heels on the floor again. She let go of his shoulders and turned to leave, taking a few steps-

“ _No-no-no-wait!_ ” he said, breathlessly.

He seized her by the elbow and spun her around, capturing her lips with his, and pressing his palms to her back.

In a moment, she was completely and utterly lost.

The hesitant kneading and molding of their lips was intoxicating and sent shivers racing down her spine. Stars, _this_ was it. He pressed her against him, confidence surging, and with a desire like they couldn't possibly be close enough, like he was trying to pull her into him. Warmth radiated from his chest into hers, and she could feel the _thump_ of their pulses racing in elated tandem. Her arms wound around his neck, fingers diving into his long, soft hair, combing through it until they buried themselves in the plush locks.

He was passionate, sincere, massaging her lips as if he was trying to stimulate warmth and life back into them. She drowned in the flood of love and desire and delight. Their exploration of each other's mouths was cursory and timid, only resulting in a bit of sweet licking and nibbling and heated exchange of breath, but even that was enough to heat up Rey's whole body.

He pressed one final, ardent kiss against her mouth, practically crushing her lips with his, but Rey so delirious, she couldn't have cared.

Kylo pulled apart from her, blinking his eyes open, panting just as she was.

They huffed, trying to catch their breath, their panting turning into soft giggling, into warm chuckling, and finally into full-on laughter.

“ _Stars_ , I think my heart's going to burst out of my chest!” Kylo chortled, laughing at his own infatuation, even as he gazed at her, positively love-struck.

“I thought you were going to pass out!” Rey shrieked, only making him guffaw, low and throaty, all the more “You looked so pale and scared – I was so sure I'd messed something up!” He shook his head, not even the act of biting his lower, kiss-flushed lip, prevented his boyish smile from turning his mouth.

“No, my darling, not one bit.”

Rey flushed crimson.

“Okay, now I think _my_ heart's trying to beat out of my chest,” she murmured shyly, not sure how quite to meet his gorgeous gaze. Kylo chuckled, the sound more air than tone.

“My lady, I think this might be the happiest I've ever felt...” he muttered, clutching her hands to his chest, massaging the backs of them with his thumbs, the caresses loving and tender, and making Rey want to run and hide and bury her red, red face in her big, fluffy pillow.

“Kylo, I was being serious when I said I can't handle compliments...”

“My lady, I'll stop only if you _spontaneously combust_. Until then, I'm afraid you're just going to have to bear it,” he declared, his gorgeous, toothy grin the only indication of his slight jest.

She buried her flaming face in his chest with a whine, his low laugh shuddering against her as held her tight and planted feather-light kisses on the crown of her head.

“Kylo – you needn't keep being so sweet to me, I know how you feel!” Rey exclaimed in protest, but he only laughed harder, peppering her head with kisses. She mewled in protest.

“I'm serious, Ben! _Stars_ , I don't think I could possibly be more in love with you!”

His chuckling shuddered to a sudden stop.

Rey bit her lower lip, and decided to follow Rose's teachings and own her misspeak, fully.

“Yes – you heard me rightly! I'm completely and utterly infatuated with you, you scoundrel Inferi!!” she yelled into his coat, the velvety fabric not nearly thick enough to hide herself in.

His hand slipped between them and he lightly pressed his pointer and index fingers to her chin. She grimaced, but let him tilt her head up. His smile was so warm and sweet she could have melted in his hands.

“Just as I am hopelessly in love with you, my stubborn Duster...” he murmured, eyes doting and tender. He made no comment about her calling him by his old name, and honestly, in this moment, he couldn't care less.

Rey's heart ballooned with buoyant wonder, and she stretched up on her tip-toes again with a smile, pressing a pleasant little kiss against his cheek, taking pride in the fact that she made him blush an adorable shade of pink.

She chuckled, bemused and elated, as she familiarized herself with the steady, firm sensation of her hands in his secure, gentle grip.

“Now that we've established that, how in the Gods' name am I supposed to calm enough to sleep tonight?” He huffed in laughter.

“Do you think I have any clue? I'm in just the same boat as you, my lady,” he said, eyes crinkling with mirth.

Though every little new sensation or ardent word was still making her heart skip beats, the thought of crawling into her gigantic, chilled bed, alone, was a far more unpleasant emotion.

“And yet, I can't bring myself to leave you, my dear...” Rey murmured. Kylo's eyes brightened in delight.

“Then don't. Stay.”

Her stomach did back-flips. Three at least.

“Kylo, I-”

“ _Stay._ Please, stay, my love,” he murmured, leaning down slightly to whisper in her ear, pressing a little kiss to her cheek. She only flushed more.

“Just for a short while, my lady. You're welcome to leave when you feel you're beginning to drift off.”

Rey chewed her lip in thought, her heart _thumping_ a staccato beat. Was she really going to do this, lay down next to him on his king-sized bed on the very night she'd shared her first kiss with him?

She took a breath and decided to speak as plainly as possible, wanting to leave no room for confusion.

“You understand, I just want to hold you? Maybe kiss you a bit – nothing more?” she asked, making her expectations perfectly clear, at the cost of being a bit embarrassed.

Kylo's eyes widened vehemently as the implication hit him.

“Yes, of course, Rey, I understand completely. If I do anything you don't like – or – or move too fast, please just-” she silenced him with a kiss, deep and loving, affectionately massaging his lips, and she felt him sway and stumble a bit, having to re-center his weight in a hurry to catch himself.

“Tell you. I will, Kylo,” Rey said, finishing his sentence for him as he stared at her, love-struck and dazed. “Just give me a minute to change out of my ball clothes. I'll be right back,” Rey said, sauntering shyly over to the door lock and connecting their rooms again as the door between them fell away.

“Yes! Of course, by all means – I should – go do the same-” said Kylo, starting in realization that he was still in his uncomfortable dress clothes, backing up towards his closet door, the back of his knees hitting his loveseat, surprising him and nearly making him fall over.

Rey couldn't help the snort of laughter that shot from her nose, though she instantly felt horrible as Kylo turned bright red.

“I'm sorry-!”

“It's fine – don't worry,” her fiancé said, laughing at himself in embarrassment. “Should pay more attention to where I'm going...” he said, waving away his chagrin, as she turned and headed into her suite.

She hurried to shut herself behind her closet door, grabbed a pillow from the nearest pouf, and screamed into it in delight.

Once she'd let all her feelings out, she swiftly wiped off her makeup, and returned all her jewels to their proper boxes, including her ring, which she was ever-so-careful with. The sight of it had made him so happy that she almost wanted to wear it to bed, but the mortified notion of losing it in her sleep, never to be found again amongst the sea of sheets, quickly dissuaded her from the idea. She released her hair from its bun-prison atop her head, sighing at the sensation of a liberated scalp, unzipped the dress and returned it to its hanger, and her gloves to her drawers.

She hesitantly took off her undergarments as well, and rooted through her closet to find a set of proper pajamas, with pants. After a bit of searching, she pulled out a cotton, dark blue, top and bottom that were completely opaque. She debated throwing on her dressing robe as well, but she'd inevitably just end up removing it as it would be too hot and thick to sleep. Besides, the pajamas were slightly baggy and thoroughly not sexy enough on their own, so as not to give the wrong impression, and for Rey to feel comfortable dressed in them.

She turned bright pink at the thought that Kylo would probably still think her beautiful in them.

Rey tugged on a pair of woolen socks to keep her feet warm on the cold tile and padded back to Kylo's suite, dimming the fluorescents on her side to their late-night setting as she went. BeeBee was still snoring in his bed where she'd left him, and the sight made her smile.

Kylo had turned off all the lights in his room as well, excluding the warm-toned, bright, bed-side lamp. He rose from his seat on the duvet to greet her as she walked in, tugging down his shirt compulsively.

He'd opted for a soft t-shirt, lounge pants, and crew socks, all darkly colored, but hard to definitively place as black in the half-light.

Rey found herself smirking at the sight.

“...What?” Kylo asked, instantly suspicious.

“I just the thought the Emperor's Hand would have fancier pajamas,” she said, stretching up to plant a kiss on his cheek in greeting once she'd reached him, and to help calm her own nerves.

He chortled, awkward and beautiful, hugging her close.

“Funnily enough, I think it's my one clothing item that isn't luxury,” he said, flicking his fingers and turning back the covers with the help of his shadow tendrils, eyes briefly flashing like embers. He gestured to the bed, inviting her in and then flushing horribly.

“I'm sorry – I'm being presumptuous...”

“No, it's okay, I want to lie down,” Rey said, clambering onto his monstrous bed, settling more or less on the other side, near the middle and burrowing under the covers. Kylo took a deep breath and crawled in after her, lying stiffly on his side, facing her.

Rey smiled at him sweetly and shuffled a bit closer, putting a gentle arm around his middle and making him chuckle with nerves. She scooted higher on the pillows, aligning their faces.

“Now it's almost like we're the same height,” she grinned.

He puffed out a breathy chuckle.

“I apologize in advance for how...completely clueless I'm going to be,” he said, reaching for her shoulder slowly. She gave him an encouraging smile, and he rested his palm there a bit more comfortably, familiarly. “At least, for a little while...”

His deep breath shuddered as he drew it.

“...I've never had anything like this before. Not with anyone...” His forehead creased with apology, with worry.

“Me neither, my love,” Rey murmured, trying out the new pet-name for size. His gaze immediately melted into something so reverent and soft, she decided she loved it.

“We'll just have to figure it out together. And be patient when with each other when we make mistakes – and _we will_ make mistakes,” said Rey, with a laugh, recalling her brother's sage advice when it came to first relationships.

“How do you even know _that_ much for certain?” Kylo snickered.

“My brother had no shortage of love advice to offer his dreamer of a little sister,” she said, with a snort “See, it's a joke, because I'm _older_ than him, and yet, he's always called me his little sister.” His low hum of a chortle charmed her instantly.

“Stars above, I love your laugh,” she breathed, and Kylo turned the most fluorescent, luminous shade of pink.

“What is this, a taste of my own medicine?”

“Mmmm-hmmm...”

He buried his burning face in his pillow, simpering in embarrassment.

“But it's also a genuine compliment...You fixed me with some head-spinners, tonight – now its my turn,” Rey said, grinning impishly. Kylo peaked at her with one eye.

“Fine. Go ahead,” he muttered, bracing for the worst.

“You looked every bit the Prince Charming I've been looking for all my life, tonight.” He fell against her shoulder with a groan.

“ _Sto-op..._ ” he whined, terribly immature.

Rey snickered with glee.

“But...it's nice to see you out of dress clothes too,” Rey murmured, feeling up the biceps and shoulders that held her. Heavens, he was built like a _beast_. “You've been holding out on me, Kylo, hiding these gorgeous, rippling muscles from me.”

The strangled noise he made was somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

“And, stars, your wonderful hair,” she said, combing through his mane again, in complete adoration.

“ _Rey – please..._ ”

“I don't know that ever felt anything this soft and luscious and beautiful.”

“ _Mercy!_ ”

“And Gods, _your smile..._ ” she breathed, fully enamored with the process of singing his praises. “So beautiful and charming – my heart takes off at a sprint every time I see it...” She planted a kiss against the top of his head, hoping to resuscitate him, or at least get some sort of reaction.

Not a peep. She laughed.

“Kylo...” she said, singsong.

“ _Kylo's not here right now..._ ”

She giggled like mad.

“What about Ben, then? Is he here?”

“ _No, he's dead too._ ”

“Oh-ho, no!! What's killed him?” she said, in mock concern.

She felt the shape of the grin he had no hope of repressing bloom against her shoulder.

“ _He's been murdered by the love of his fiancé...she was so sweet to him he just went into spontaneous, cardiac arrest._ ”

“Hmmmm...that doesn't sound like the worst way to go...”

“ _It's really not. Trouble is, she didn't come with him when he left for the next life._ ”

“Oh, but she will. Her love need only ask,” she murmured, and Kylo picked up his head, eyes filled with fathomless longing.

“...Can I just kiss you until I'm sick of it, or until we suffocate?” he asked, breathless, and reaching for her face with trembling hands. She grabbed them and guided them to cup her cheekbones.

“Yes. Yes, please, whichever comes last,” Rey breathed, and he dove in, kissing her soft and sweet and searching. He pressed his palm between her shoulder blades and she melted, tucking herself as close against him as she could get.

She pressed against his lips a bit more fervently, longing for a bit more pressure and passion and he shuddered.

_Rey..._ he whispered in her mind, absolutely smitten. His lips parted for her, and they studiously began to study each other's mouths, exploring lapping tongues and sharp lines of teeth, intermingling breath and nibbles and caresses and fully _tasting_ each other.

Gods, she was drowning.

He had a spice on his tongue that was all his own flavor, musky and sweet like smoky firewood, and she couldn't get enough of it.

_Kylo..._ she murmured in bliss, gripping tight to the back of his neck to pull him down even closer to her.

_My darling_... _my beautiful, wonderful love_...he moaned in her head, star-struck.

_**Stars,**_ _I love you,_ she said, and pressed one more bruising kiss against his mouth, before pulling away, gasping and light-headed.

“I think that's – enough – for now...” she panted, releasing Kylo's neck. He gazed at her in awe.

“Okay – you're – you're right...” he breathed, chortling. “And here I was thinking...you just meant _little_ kisses...”

Rey groaned against his collarbone.

“I'm sorry, my love. I didn't mean to be so eager!” she moaned.

“No! No, no, no – don't apologize! That was...that was _wonderful,_ ” he gasped, grinning like a schoolboy. Rey flushed, looking to him like a Goddess of the Ethereum.

“How about we try again, and this time, you lead?” she offered, still a bit flustered. He gave her a goofy, crooked grin.

“Yes – exactly that smile,” she breathed, yanking him from his doting thoughts with a snort, his canines flashing as he burrowed into the pillow. “Stars, but that one's good too...”

He shook his head in amazement, in disbelief.

“I don't know what I did to be worthy of a girl like you...” he said, thumb rubbing loving little patterns on her cheek. Rey bunched her lips to one side of her mouth.

“I don't think it had so much to do with worth, as much as we just...needed each other. To learn from one another, and grow together, and to balance each other out.”

He smiled, sleepy and cute.

“A Nightmare and a Somni, bringing balance and order to the galaxy...”

“Something like that...” Rey murmured, cuddling in close to his warm, muscular chest.

“Are you falling asleep?” he whispered in her ear, a tentative, charming sound that she adored.

“...I'm getting there,” she hummed back.

“...Can I kiss you until you do?”

She smiled and lifted her head.

“Kylo – for future reference – you don't really need to ask. Just kiss me. Odds are good I'll very rarely say no.”

He grinned boyishly again, dipping towards her languidly until their mouths met. Where Rey had been seeking passionate kisses with a fervor behind them, Kylo was soft, gentle, unhurried. It was as if he was tenderly exploring every lovely way their mouths could fit together, and it filled her stomach with wonderful, heated, fluttery feelings.

He massaged her lips with a tender sweetness all his own, languid and reverent, savoring the feeling of her soft mouth. His hands flattened against the small of her back, holding her so close and in such loving way she found herself trembling with delight, the brush of his lips on hers making her heart fit to burst with how full and warm it felt.

He pulled away and she bemoaned the loss of his lips.

“...Kylo-”

“You're shaking.”

Her eyes popped open to the sight of worried, round, hazel orbs, his bed-side florescent dimmed now to the barely-there glow of the early morning hours-setting. She slowly shook her head.

“...My dear, it's only because I love you so,” she diving back in with delicious sincerity, reassuring him with affectionate, smooth grazes of his lips. He melted in her arms, tasting and licking and pressing and nuzzling at his leisure, breathing the same air as she, lost to the tides of love that had claimed them, heart and soul.

Eventually, their kisses turned from slow and unhurried, to an impossible snail's pace as they grew sleepier and sleepier, but still didn't quite want to stop.

_I'm falling asleep, Kylo. I can't keep my eyes open for a second longer._

_Me neither. You're sure you don't want me to carry you to bed?_

_How do you have the energy to even lift a finger right now?_

_I don't._

_Well, then I guess I'm staying put._

Their bruised and weary lips finally parted, though their arms stayed wrapped about each other's waists, Rey's forehead pressed against Kylo's chest, fingers nesting in the ends of his hair.

_Even with all the hellish happenings tonight, I'm still glad it happened. If nothing else, so we could have this, now,_ she thought.

Rey's mouth twitched.

_Plus, I adored dancing with you._

Kylo hummed, a guttural, vague sound.

_Then we shall have to do it again in the future. Not with the family around, of course. We won't see them until the day of the wedding, if I can help it._

Rey kind of, sort of, almost laughed, and then the insistent lullaby of sleep took them both under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated. <3
> 
> New illustrations for this story can be found here: https://twitter.com/The28thAurora/status/1325536804003581953


	22. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world becomes alight - fierce, unfamiliar, brilliant, and new - when one loves and is loved in return.
> 
> Or, Kylo and Rey can't keep their hands to themselves, now that they know how the other feels.

For the second time in her life, Rey slept through the Sacred Hour. When she awoke, it was to solar fluorescents in the suite glimmering with bright warmth, signifying morning. She stared at the canopy of the bed, perplexed for all of one second by its wider frame and darker color palette, until she felt a deep, swelling, roiling motion beneath her, and the night's events came flooding back to her.

She was in Kylo's bed, and she was laying on his chest as he snored.

She grinned like mad with each deep, guttering breath that lifted her head in a gentle sway, like the tide rocking a little boat on the ocean. The warmth of his body seeped into her skin and she was lost to it, positively enamored with lying with him.

He grunted in his sleep and shifted slightly, hips pivoting and head lolling forward. His nose buried itself in her hair and she felt her cheeks flame with her blush.

His arms were firmly looped around her waist, fingers knitted tightly together. Unless he indeed slept like a hibernating Krayt dragon – and based on her experiences on the night she'd met him, he didn't – there was no way to part his hands from her stomach without waking him. She was simply going to have to wait until he stirred awake of his own accord.

Until then, she'd simply have to lie in his arms, boneless with delight. What a shame...

She let the memories of last night fill her mind and warm her from head to toe. Stars, they loved each other and they _knew_ it. All the things they could experience together now – the possibilities were as nerve-wracking as they were exciting!

For the time being though, the memory of his plush lips on hers was enough to make her wish he was already awake, so they could roll back onto their sides and continue exploring each other, swimming in their love and affection. Rey had definitely lost herself to her flood of emotions last night, more than once – but it didn't feel as if she'd drowned. Everything felt sharper, more acute, her senses more _alive_ when they kissed, even as her mind became a thick stew of euphoria. It was wonderful, addicting even.

And the way he was gently nuzzling the crown of her head now was making her impatient. Was he already awake?

Sighing, Rey glanced down at the careful hands that held her waist protectively. They were glowing darkly with shadow energy.

_Right..._ Rey found herself recalling the night they'd made their deal. _His skin glowed in his sleep. His subconscious mind must be activating his magicks, but I wonder why. I hope it's not in fear or self-defense because he's having bad dreams..._

Glancing up, Rey inspected what little she could see of Kylo's face, vaguely tilted her way on the poufy pillows. There seemed to be a faint light peeking out from under his dark eyelids – they had turned molten and blazed in his sleep too.

_Odd..._ she wondered, hoping he was alright. _Maybe its better if I don't try to wake him. He's not used to having someone in his bed – what if he gets scared and lashes out in surprise?_

But tinged with shadow energy, the angular, handsome lines of his face were thrown into a dramatic, sharp relief that made her pulse flutter. His darkened, silver-tinged lips looked too soft and kissable for her to resist. Very tentatively and slowly, Rey shifted in his arms, listening carefully after to make sure his breathing was still even.

Not so much as a hitch.

Lying nearly on her stomach now, Rey slid up a bit, shuffling until she was aligned with Kylo's face. Planting a hand on either side of his head on the pillow, she gently hoisted up her torso, and, ever so slowly, leaned down.

His mouth tasted even more savory and spicy, like a paprika blend, when his magicks were racing through his body, yet there was also a sweetness to his plush lips that reminded her of the honey sauce pork loins were marinated in back in Niima.

Rey hummed softly in delight, beginning the gentle process of kneading his lips, hoping to coax her fiancé awake. His breathing was still deep and even, his mouth pliant, but otherwise motionless.

Then all of a sudden, his breath hitched and respiration sped up, and his lips began to move with hers, the molding and tugging sensation intoxicating, and his arms squeezed her closer against him. She giggled. Yep, definitely awake now!

A few more playful nibbles and pecks, and Rey lifted away from him, Kylo's impossibly warm, endearing hazel eyes greeting her instead of the twin lava pools he'd had in his sleep.

His smile was brilliant and his nervous gulp adorable.

“Stars, I must still be dreaming...” he murmured, fingers reaching up to delicately comb through Rey's loose hair, his brush against her ear and cheek sending little, warm, trickling shivers down her back.

“You're not, my love...” she whispered, letting her bliss turn her mouth in a smile.

“You really stayed the night with me, then? Me? And kissed me so passionately and told me you loved me...” he breathed, in utter delight and awe. Rey nodded, feeling her cheeks warm. Kylo sat up, keeping his palm clutching her jaw as he moved, thumb gingerly stroking her cheekbones.

“Nine Heavens, you look so beautiful,” he murmured, pressing the warm words against her lips, making her shudder with delight.

“With my bed-head and rumpled pajamas?” Rey asked, biting her lip, trying to calm her racing heart.

He nodded eagerly, eyes practically sparkling with boyish delight.

“Yes, because it proves you were here, sleeping in my arms – that last night wasn't just some wild fantasy of mine...”

Rey felt her whole body flare with her flush.

“Kylo, my dear, is entirely too soon for me to be hearing that you fantasize about me!” Rey squeaked out, voice thin with her timidity. He chuckled low and embarrassed, voice still a bit groggy from sleep, and kissed the crown of her head.

“Apologies, my love, I didn't mean it like that...”

But, Thirteen Hells, now her mind was _racing_ with morbid curiosity...

“...Have you thought about me that way before?” she asked, nibbling her lower lip. The teasing look he gave, eyes hooded and eyebrows raised in a thoroughly seductive fashion, made her yelp with panic and try to leap from the bed. He held her wrists tight, preventing her escape.

“Kylo-!” she shrieked, blushing like mad and filled with chagrin. He silenced her cry with a warm, friendly kiss that slowed her frantic pulse like magick.

“Not in that fashion, my lady,” he said, chortling when he parted from her “My mind was besotted with hopes for the future instead, hopes that you might want to be with me, would let me hold you, kiss you, love you...things that seemed utterly impossible...” He adorned her face with little pecks, tracing the constellation her freckles splashed across her cheeks and her adorable nose.

“My love, I know you were afraid, but you needn't have thought that impossible...” Rey murmured, lost to the hypnotic swirling of her rapturous emotions as he worshipped her.

“Of course I thought it impossible – you _hated_ me,” Kylo breathed, hazel eyes shot-through with pain as he pulled away a bit.

Rey grimaced, there was no point in denying that fact. He'd seen inside her head – she'd screamed about her hatred in his face.

“True enough...but that's not the case anymore. Not since you've revealed your heart to me, protected me, and shown me kindness,” Kylo's expression softened, taking courage at her words.

“I'll spell it out if you need me to...” Rey murmured, brushing his jawline teasingly with her thumbs. He flushed, canines peaking out just for a moment.

“'Need' might be a bit excessive. But, stars, I'd be delighted if you would...” he whispered, eyes doting and saccharine with his adulation. He pulled her closer to him, making Rey giggle with delight as she settled in his lap. She carded her fingers through his mane of hair, his languid sigh disclosing the pleasure he felt from the massaging of his scalp.

“ _I love you_...” Rey whispered, a breath from his lips, and dove in for a warm, full kiss that enraptured them with desire and joy. He pulled her flush against him, hands firm and wanting as they clutched her small frame, lips pressing his love needily into her mouth, wanting to impress the feeling of his passion there.

She yelped with surprise at his fervence, but then was swept away by the delectable current, kissing him just as fiercely and fast, turning liquid in his embrace. She drank him in, swiping at his mouth with her tongue, playful and hungry. He nibbled at her lower lip in such a way that it sent heat shooting down her spine to hidden places below.

It was an unfamiliar, shocking sensation, but _stars_ it felt good.

Then, just as suddenly, she felt herself shudder with intense shyness, and, grasping his hair a little more firmly, she took control, slowing the flow of their kisses to something gentler and more tender. He followed her lead gladly, his passions cooling to a warm, tepid, content thing that simply reveled in the caress of her lips.

...The uncomfortable warmth that had settled between her legs however, did not calm so readily. She gave him one last peck and pulled away, tremors upsetting her body.

“Rey?” Kylo breathed, the picture of concern, loosening his hold considerately. Rey swallowed roughly, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically fragile.

“That was a bit too fast, my love...” she breathed, finding that her hands were shaking as they parted from his hair. His eyes widened fearfully.

“I'm so sorry! – I didn't mean to upset-”

“I know, Kylo. I'm just...far too new to this. For all the advice Finn gave me after his own experiences with love, he failed to mention how scary it could be to-” she gulped “experience...passion with someone for the first time...”

Nine Heavens, she felt so childish and ignorant. This was not how she'd wanted this morning to go...

His arms fell from her shoulders, seeking out her hands instead, grasping them firmly.

“You're not the only one. Cast out your intuition, look inside my mind, Rey,” Kylo murmured, gentle and instructive, taking on the tone of voice he'd used as her tutor.

Her eyes slipped shut and she sent her intuition into the Ethereum, quickly seeking out her fiancé's signature. The smoky, fiery bloom of his mind laid everything bare once she waded into it.

He was _terrified_. She was the loveliest, most wonderful gift life had given him and he was so certain he was going to screw it all up somehow and lose her. He was positively enamored with her and so wanted her to stay, and seldom did anything good in his life stay. He wanted to experience everything with her; explore every kind of kiss, melt into every type of embrace, laugh with her, learn with her, research this amorphous, changing, swirling, giddy thing between them and name every facet, discover every part. He wanted to let her in, even to the darkest, loneliest parts of himself, and to be welcomed into her vulnerable truths too.

His imagination had been limited by his doubt, stunted, and stomped into the dirt. Now it had been breathed back to life and was flashing and whirling with snatches of possibilities, bits of warmth and passion and love and a devoted closeness and a desire to join with her in every sense of the expression.

Now that the door had been thrown open, the impossible dream turned reality, he likely _would_ begin to fantasize about her that way...

Gods, the way that realization made her stomach knot with desire. Kylo gasped, a broken, strangled sound that told her everything she needed to know. He'd felt it too, his essence was pinwheeling with delighted shades of pink and sunrise hues again, and a twirling, silver ribbon of plain and simple desire. It was a foreign feeling to him too, foreign, but fierce, and even as his diaphragm shuddered with it, he instinctively knew with her, it was well-placed. That it was okay to be that vulnerable and earnestly wanting.

And that entire flood of feelings was for _her._

Gods, she was shaking.

But beyond all that, there was a calm in the unhurried, shifting shadows of him. He would never push her into anything she wasn't ready for. He would wait, and treasure and revere any bit of love she was willing to give him, innocent and charming, or passionate and fiery.

To him, there was no greater gift than her, exactly as she was.

_I love you, too_ , he breathed, forehead coming to rest tenderly against hers, their noses brushing together sweetly.

Rey's exhale hitched, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him for a long, long minute, as he rubbed her back. She let the shaking happen, the tremors and the terror that wanted him so, emotionally, mentally, physically, wholly. She faced her fear and uncertainty head-on, knowing that Kylo would simply let her float in her desire, examine and experience it, and not ask anything of her. She drifted in it until the fear and discomfort, slowly, slowly, faded away, and there was just the knowledge of her passion and his gentle hands at her back.

“It's not you, Kylo,” Rey said, blinking her eyes open as the bridge between them grew lax and parted. “I would feel this way regardless of who my first partner was. I've never felt this way about anyone. The strength of my emotions is...completely terrifying. I need time to become accustomed to them, that's all,” she whispered, chin resting on his shoulder.

She felt him nod.

“I understand, Rey. But know there is absolutely nothing to fear,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head again. “Not from me. All I have to offer is all my love.”

“That's petrifying, too,” Rey said, her laugh carrying the faint echo of a sob “I've been searching for this all my life – now that I have it's completely overwhelming me with surprise and delight. For all my delivery of dreams, and feedback I've gotten about my services over the years, all my customers failed to mention how terrifying it is when a dream comes true...” He pressed his smile into her hair and she melted.

“Truer words have never been spoken, my lady. But know that we have all the time in the world to revel in the realization of that dream...” he said, rubbing his cheek against her hair.

Rey laughed, a few tears of joy leaking from her eyes.

“Thank the Gods for that!”

“Agreed...”

Rey pulled away to meet his hazel eyes with a sniff. They flashed concern at her, but she waved him off.

“I'm fine – a little overwhelmed, but I'm fine.” His smile turned goofy and boyish again.

“I suppose we ought to begin our day...”

“Did you have something in mind?” He shook his head.

“Not a clue – beyond that I want to spend it with you.”

She squealed into his shoulder, making him burst into peals of hearty laughter.

“My lady-!” She silenced his exclamation with a sloppy kissed that nearly missed his mouth, she moved so quick.

“Yes – let's do it!” she said, grinning brilliantly “Barring any lessons that I still need to take clogging up my schedule?”

“The goal of those were to prepare you for the Ball. Now that that's over, there's really not much more to prepare you for when it comes to Court life – you've learned all the essentials.” He sounded definitive, but then his eye and cheek twitched, considering, in a way that made her skeptical.

“What does that look mean?” she teased.

He bit his lip, trying to hold back his smile.

“You'll have more to learn later on, of course. But, we'll cross that bridge when the time comes,” Kylo said, releasing her from his hold and rolling out of bed. Rey stood too, padding after him until she realized he was heading to his closet and stopped, leaning on one of his bed's four posters.

She turned her back to the door as it opened and he stepped inside, out of respect, but mostly because of her rush of shyness.

“But why wait? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to get started on those lessons now, take a more proactive approach?”

“...Forgive me, my lady, but I'd rather not say why.”

Rey rolled her eyes.

“Come off it, my love, why not?”

His groan of frustration was loud and exaggerated.

“Because I'd rather not walk out of my closet to find that my fiancé has turned into a blushing pile of mush on the floor!”

“How dare you-”

“Do you _deny_ it?!”

Rey shrieked in indignation.

“Try me! I'll never grow accustomed to your sweetness if I never hear it! Like you said, I need to build up a tolerance!”

His arms wrapping around her from behind made her jump with surprise before she leaned against his chest, smiling.

“Because, my darling, your new set of lessons would prepare you to become _my lady_ and _my wife_ ,” he murmured against her hair. Rey squeaked with delight and burrowed into his chest, making him chuckle fervently. “And you still have two months before I'll formally ask you to make a decision, so, no point getting you new tutors _just_ yet.”

“Okay, I see your point,” she murmured, snuggling into his chest was ardent affection. His tiny gasp of surprise made her tilt her head back to look at him. Though his hair was mostly in the way, she could tell the tips of his ears had turned bright red.

“Now who's the shy one...?” Rey teased, grinning impishly. He smirked, his hazel eyes smoldering like warm coals and her stomach flipped.

“Be careful how you play, my lady. This is a game you're guaranteed to lose.” She grimaced, knowing he was right.

“Then I won't test you. Release me, so I can go on my way and get dressed too.” His eyes twinkled.

“Not before I do one thing first...”

She didn't even have time to shriek in panic, the sound stuck in her throat as he spun her around and captured her mouth in a luscious, doting kiss that turned her legs to jelly. She could still taste his fire on his tongue.

They pulled apart, both of them laughing, Rey's more of a moan born of her timidity, Kylo's mischievous and low, but he let her slip out of his arms and retreat. He followed her into her suite, greeting a yipping BeeBee with head-scratches as Rey shut the closet door behind her.

“Can you call for breakfast?” she yelled through the door, eyeing her dresses shrewdly.

“Certainly! Do you want to take it in here?” he hollered back. She pulled a dark blue chiffon gown off the rack with a smile – Kylo had donned dark breeches and boots again, but had paired it with a navy silk jacket today. She wanted her colors to suit his.

“Yes – though mostly because BeeBee's likely to be starving by now!” she said, by way of explanation as she tugged on a pair of cushy cobalt blue flats and combed the knots out of her hair. Squinting at her reflection, she decided leave her hair down, primping it a bit to bring out her natural waves. The sleeve-less dress leaving her chilled, Rey pulled a silver-blue velvet jacket off the rack to warm her arms, tugging dark colored tights up her legs as an added layer. She kept her makeup simple and minimal, just enough to smooth out her skin and emphasize her eyes.

By the time she was done, she could hear Kylo addressing Daisy in greeting with his modulated voice. Biting her lip eagerly, she dove into the jewelry drawers and set her ruby engagement ring back in its rightful place.

He'd already given BeeBee his breakfast when she stepped out into her room, plate of eggs and bacon held aloft in his hands. His cheeks dusted with pink at the sight of her, admiring her every step of the way.

She was flushing by the time she reached him too.

“I know I'm a far cry from hideous, but must you stare at me like I'm the Daughter, herself, every time I walk in the room?” she said, idly teasing, running her mouth as she gathered her food, distracting herself from her own shyness by pointing an accusatory finger at Kylo's affections.

“Yes, my love, I must. My heart compels me to, and I am incapable of disobeying,” he said, smirking with mirth, and Rey hid her frustrated blush with the long drought she took of her tea.

“Nine Heavens, you're entirely too much,” she muttered, upon finding her voice again. Kylo cracked up, tossing his head back.

“You are!! You could make a dedicated Celeste priestess swear, Kylo!” Rey exclaimed, between bites of eggs and toast.

“If that's the price I have to pay for letting you know how I feel, so be it, my lady!”

Rey rolled her eyes and they descended into companionable silence, pulling up chairs around the cart so they could eat comfortably, taking delight in BeeBee's loud, enthusiastic _chomping_ of the grubs in his breakfast bowl.

Rey recalled, in her quiet reflection, the way Kylo's skin had glowed in his sleep, and swallowing her last bite, addressed her curious musings.

“Did you know that your magicks become active when you sleep?” she asked, Kylo raising up his eyebrows in response.

“I did – they've been that way since I was young,” he said, unperturbed.

“Really? Do you know why? As far as I know, it's not usual for Mystics,” Rey asked. Kylo shrugged.

“Not particularly, my lady. I don't really dream much – or if I do, I don't recall the dreams once they've passed – so it's not a reaction to that. It's just always how it's been; when I begin to drift off and my conscious mind relaxes, my powers present themselves more fully.”

“So...presenting your physical appearance right now, is more an act of restraining your magicks, rather than activating them to make you glow with shadows?” Kylo nodded, brow creased with scholarly contemplation.

“I suppose so. Not that I've ever considered it that way, but, yes. My Inferi abilities are simply that strong – to be active, not dormant, is their normal state.”

Kylo paused for a beat to finish up his cup of coffee, eyes flicking towards her regretfully when he swallowed.

“My magick...didn't make you scared or uncomfortable, did it? I didn't heat up the bed with my internal fire, or something?”

“No, not at all!” Rey exclaimed, chuckling lightly, defusing Kylo's worried expression quickly. “No, I asked just because I was curious...” She blushed into her cup as she finished her meal as well, wondering if she could confess her feelings. She decided to take the plunge.

“...In fact, the only difference I noticed at all between your two states was when I was kissing you.”

“Oh?” His eyes darkened, mischievous and playful, and she was left with little choice but to bury her face in her hands as he laughed.

“I'm sorry, my lady, I couldn't resist! What was different about me, my love?”

“Well, now I'm not going to tell you!” Rey said, sitting upright, crossing her arms and not meeting his eyes.

“My lady...” Kylo murmured, sing-songy and supplicant.

“Nope. If you're going to make fun of me for enjoying your kisses, I won't say a thing.”

“It's not your interest in me I'm poking fun at. I just love the sight of you embarrassed and flushed, you honor me with your shy reactions...You're so sweet and adorable to take to my words the way you do...I never dared dream I'd have that effect on anyone, ever, not until a week or so ago,” he murmured, quiet and low.

Rey sighed lightly, turning back to his big, round, hazel eyes, and chose to ignore the way her heart gave an extra loud, giddy _thump_.

She shed a small smile.

“...You have a subtle, wood-burning-fire taste on your tongue – smoky and sweet, like a marinating roast...did you know that?” she said, a bit quiet, but forward in her presentation. He gave her crooked smile.

“No. I had no clue.”

“Well, you do, and the taste gets stronger when you're in your raw Inferi form,” Rey said, by way of explanation.

Kylo nodded slowly, averting his eyes, appearing to take great interest in BeeBee ripping out more of the fluff from his bed, now that the fox' hunger was sated.

“...Is it a good taste?” he murmured, quietly.

Rey felt her neck heat up dramatically.

“Yes. It is. Likely because it's yours, my dear,” Rey murmured, eyes downcast too, but when she lifted them to glance his way, he'd already stood to lean over her, steadying himself with his palms resting on the corner of the cart and kissed her, slow and searching.

_Why do you like it though?_ Kylo murmured, licking at her bottom lip in teasing way that sent her pulse galloping away with her.

_I couldn't tell you, my dear. It's...fiery and masculine and exciting...it's you, and you happen to be delicious – what do you want me to say?_ Rey thought, in a rush, becoming putty in his hands as he massaged her lips and dipped his tongue in her mouth when her lips parted in invitation.

_That will do, just fine, my lady,_ Kylo muttered breathily, caressing her tongue with his, making her shiver.

_You taste like chamomile..._ he said, shifting on his feet to lift her from her chair and embrace her warmly against him.

_Do I?_ She gasped, nibbling at his lips in kind, even as the paprika blend rolled succulently over her tongue.

_Yes, chamomile and rose, like a morning cup of tea, blended and balanced._ He delved a bit deeper seeking out her secrets with longing, lapping at her tongue.

_Stars, you're so_ _ **sweet**_ , he moaned.

Rey whimpered and had to part from his grasp, feeling that daunting shyness again. His want for her was readily apparent in his actions, his words. She was entirely unused to men looking at her as desirable or sexy.

“Forgive me,” he said, letting her elbows slip from his hold, stepping away, expression falling.

“Kylo...” Rey murmured, somewhere between reassuring and nervous as she tried to steady herself again.

“I told I wouldn't rush you and I won't,” he said, smoothing back a few errant locks of his hair. “I didn't expect...” he chuckled, showing his age again “I didn't imagine I could feel so strongly for someone so fast – or get so excited and enraptured by their kisses...”

Half of Rey wanted to disappear into the floor, a red, flushing tile appearing where she had stood. The other half wanted to step forward and melt into his arms, reciprocating his desires, and drink in his kisses again.

Her passion felt like a electric current humming through her body, fervent and wild and wonderful.

But her hesitance won out.

“I know what you mean, Kylo. And you needn't fear, your kisses were lovely.” His smile was bashful, pleased.

“It's just...” Rey gripped her chair, nervous, the knowledge that she should speak her mind to clear the air between them helping loosen her tied tongue. “I...I don't understand how you can look at me as something to be desired – physically. I mean, I'm aware of my own beauty, but I know absolutely _nothing_ about love-making. And yet...your knowledge of my inexperience doesn't seem to deter your passions...” Rey bit her lip as her embarrassment threatened to overwhelm her, remembering to breathe.

The warmth that slipped into Kylo's low voice had her swooning in seconds.

“My love, it is not experience or lack-there-of which makes you desirable. It is the plain and simple knowledge that you love me as I love you. That, and a...healthy appreciation of you, in the physical sense,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against her cheekbone to comfort her.

Despite that, his proximity and his doting eyes made her shudder.

“But Kylo – I wouldn't know a thing about how to please you!” she blurted out, now well and truly mortified by her forward ramblings.

Kylo let out something between a gasp and laugh, gently reaching for her shoulders.

“My dear, the mere fact that you would even remotely want me in such a manner is – it's more than I ever could have dreamed of,” he breathed, excited and youthful. “And I don't worry for your lack of experience; if anything, I'll be too busy bemoaning my own,” he admitted, a bit frustrated.

It was clear that now he wished he _had_ followed his sire's instructions and rumor-milling to the letter, if only to learn more about the ways of women and how bed them well, to be able to treat her.

“Don't worry, I'll teach you,” Rey said, far too eager, promptly burying her face in his shoulder with a groan at her blabbering. Kylo laughed, nervous and elated.

“And I'll teach you. When the time feels right...” His tender kiss atop her head was everything.

“Which might be a really long time from now, Kylo, I must warn you,” she mumbled against his sleeve “Right now I don't think I could see you shirtless without fainting. Besides, don't you need to take a virgin as a bride?”

“An antiquated tradition, my lady, no longer truly followed in practice. So long as my lady is a smart match that can produce healthy heirs, it hardly matters in the eyes of the Court,” he said, flippant and off-handed.

“Good to know...” Rey said, pulse racing.

_Heirs._

_Later, my dear, if at all._

_Must you pry into my every thought, dearest?_

Kylo chortled.

_You leave your intuition so open to me now, it's all too easy, darling._

She groaned, both aloud, and in his head. His train of thought returned to their earlier topic of conversation.

_Shirtless, you said?_

Her intuition felt his spark of an idea, acute and bright.

“You don't know how to swim, do you?” Rey lifted her head to look at him like he'd suddenly sprouted another pair of eyes from his forehead.

“Kylo, I come from a desert planet, remember?” He grinned, emboldened.

“I figured out how we can spend the day; I'll teach you how to swim!”

“I fail to see how this is relevant-” Rey began to say, as Kylo swept past her, entering her closet and leaving the door ajar. She follow him in.

“Swimwear is inherently paired down and minimal to prevent drag when moving through the water. Which is to say it's a bit...revealing,” he said, smirking and blushing prominently. “It'll give us something to do, help you learn a useful skill, and allow us to become more comfortable with one another, all at once.” Finding his prize, Kylo gestured to a spot on the rack where absorbent, stretchy, synthetic fabric tank-tops-fused-with-panties hung. In her Presentation lessons with Phasma, they were the one item of clothing they hadn't really bothered with. Now she understood what the suits were for.

“Take your pick, and meet me at the pool deck on the third floor,” he said, sweeping back out of the room, pausing abruptly at the door jamb. “Provided, of course, you'd be comfortable with the notion...”

Rey's eyes flitted to the muscular torso of her fiancé she'd gotten hints of, but not the full picture.

She _did_ want to see the delectable, muscular build the Emperor's Hand has been hiding. And she also wanted to adjust to him as a physical being, work through her nerves, embrace her passions without fear. Plus, this gave her an opportunity to show off for him too...

“I'll be there shortly,” she said, her smile growing as he grinned at her too.

After a bit of deliberation, Rey pulled a black one-piece from the rack that would flatter her waist and hips and show a bit of cleavage with its moderate key-hole cut, without being too scandalous. Not wanting to walk the length of the ship with the revealing thing on, though, Rey took it on her arm instead, along with a fresh towel from her bathroom. She grinned with excitement the whole way to the pool deck, changing studiously in the adjoining restrooms, hanging her dress and stowing her shoes and ring in a locker.

The huge echo chamber beyond was lined with plastic lounge chairs, surrounding the Imperial-sized pool, under-water fluorescents casting glimmering, dancing ribbons of reflected light onto cool-colored tiles. Rey twirled the beams about her fingers, playing with the light strands at her leisure.

The room was empty, so Rey set her towel on a chair at random and crouched down at the pool's edge, experimentally dipping her finger in the water. Tepid and pleasant, neither an ice-bath nor a sauna. She sat fully and submerged her feet, swishing her legs comfortably back forth, intuition sensing that Kylo was on his way. It couldn't have been more than a minute or two before he emerged from the men's changing room on the other side. His one item of clothing was swimming shorts that ended at his knees, and while looser around his pelvis, the suit was so tight along his thighs and rear it looked it had fused to his skin. Rey felt her face flush monstrously the longer she continued to stare.

Not one inch of him was ill-defined or flimsy, he was cut and sturdy and his muscles rippled and twitched as he moved. His flame-heart guttered in his chest between chiseled pecs, the sight of his abs made her ache to reach out and run her hands all over them, and the deep V of his hips...

Rey had to bury her face in her hands at the eager passions that swept through her. And he'd had the nerve to call _her_ a Goddess. Sure, she was fit, but she wasn't chiseled like a _marble statue_. She took a few breaths and reminded herself what they were here for.

Taking courage in how utterly patient and considerate he'd been, Rey rose from her seat and padded over to his side of the pool as he was laying out his towel with his back to her.

“How does the Emperor's Hand get in such wicked good shape?” she asked, once she was close enough that she didn't feel compelled to shout so he'd hear her.

He chuckled, the sound appreciative and flattered.

“By spending five years in the Imperial army, and another three in the Knights of Ren. That, and regular training since to keep my dueling abilities up to par.”

“Well, I have to say, the years have been good to you...” she said, equal parts appraising and flustered, grinning behind her clenched hand.

He turned to look at her, grinning, until his eyes bugged out of his head and his jaw turned slack.

Rey felt her whole body heat up as if it had been lit aflame.

He took one step towards her, reaching to hold her, eyes hooded and thoroughly darkened with desire-

And fell in the pool.

Rey didn't guffaw out-right, she was too surprised for that. But she _did_ shriek, and that sound was not entirely mirth-less.

“Are you okay?!” she exclaimed, as Kylo's head burst from the water and he shook his shaggy, wet bangs out of his eyes.

“ _Yes –_ no thanks to you!!” he retorted, frustration sounding genuine and making her recoil, if only for a split-second until his dark blush streaked across his face “What, did you think you could walk in here, wearing _that_ , and expect me to keep my head?!”

Rey couldn't help her wavering smile.

“I didn't think it would produce quite so strong a reaction. I'm sorry, dearest, I merely wanted to show off a little – no different than you did, I might add,” Rey countered, staring pointedly at Kylo's sewn-into swim shorts as he treaded water.

He gave her lop-sided grin.

“Touché, my lady. Getting more familiar with each other was the point of all of this...” His expression soured.

“Ach, forgive me, my lady, for raising my voice. That was uncalled for,” he said, roughly shaking the water out of his hair. Rey reciprocated his smile.

“Apology accepted. Now, let me stop stalling and join you.”

Raising up from her crouch, she took a few steps further down from her fiancé, backed up to a lounge chair, and, lowering herself into a crouch, let her Duster jumping skills send her flying into the pool.

The water ballooned around her, splashing out in a wide, frothy ring. Even having never swam, Rey was familiar with the concept, and it wasn't as if she hadn't splashed around in a bathtub at a young age. She paddled with her arms and legs and quickly reached the surface, drawing a fresh breath. Kylo had already swum to her side, and treaded water while supporting her by her arms.

“Damn, even without your scarf, that was an impressive distance,” he grinned, canines glinting in the water-spun light.

“Thank you, my dear,” Rey, nodding her head in a devious bow like a show-woman.

“You're feeling alright, ready to get started?”

“Mmmhmm! Lead the way, swim-instructor!”

His smile was a relaxed, lovely thing.

“Now then, the trick is to take frequent breaths and keep your strokes long and even...”

No different than the careful tutor he'd been during magic lessons, Kylo was ever-patient and sweet when it came to swimming. He taught her the basics of turning her head to breath, swimming in place, and the essential freestyle stroke, and she took to it all fairly quickly. The real trick had been reassuring her, that, at any time, she could lay on her back, face the ceiling, and simply float – that she wasn't in any imminent danger of drowning.

But after establishing that trust in her body's natural buoyancy, in no time, he didn't even need to keep his hands on her waist for support and reassurance as she practiced her strokes. Soon, she was flying through the pool. Her long, lean, Duster limbs certainly didn't work to her detriment either.

For the fun of it, he even taught her how to do a back stroke and breast stroke. Her ecstatic elation at her success and enthusiasm to learn even more, compelled him to.

Even then, Kylo was already considering the lesson a complete success. And that was _before_ Rey splashed him.

“Oh, really, my lady?” he simpered, grinning out from behind sopping bangs “You think that's amusing, do you?”

Another wave of water smacked him in the face.

“Alright, now you've asked for it!”

Rey shrieked and dove under, racing for the pool's opposite end. Her slight head-start proved to be incredibly advantageous – though he could match her speed, he couldn't go fast enough to close the gap between them. However, it was all a moot point when Rey, who hadn't been taught how to do a submerged turn against the wall, fumbling against the tiles in her urgency, and gave him the perfect opportunity to catch up. She yelped and tried to veer from his dogged pursuit, but he was too quick. He emerged, gasping, and stopped himself against the wall with his arms, caging her between them.

She was in a corner of the deep end – completely trapped.

“Caught you...” he murmured, breathily, pressing a sloppy, wet kiss to her mouth that made Rey sigh so beautifully, he almost had to pull away to gasp, his heart was hammering so fervently against his chest.

Though she kissed him back with equal enthusiasm and languid desire, as one hand or the other left his perch on the pool wall to stroke her arms or cup her jaw, Rey's hands didn't search him, in spite of her presence's clear desire to feel him, now that they were so close. His kisses slowed to a stop, perplexed.

“I'm fine, my love,” Rey said promptly upon liberation of her mouth, grinning broadly at him, beautiful and flushed. “I just...is it okay, if I feel your heart?” Understanding dawned.

“Oh...that's why you aren't-” Rey nodded in earnest.

“I know enough about Inferi to know they're protective of their flame-hearts – bare them to a very select few, let even fewer lay hands on them. I just wanted to make sure...”

He couldn't resist. He nuzzled her neck with his nose, smooching her cheek when her ensuing giggle sent an arrow of pure elation careening into said heart.

“Yes, my love. By all means, examine my body, and lay your hands on my heart...” he murmured, resuming the sweet tugging of her lips. Then, Rey's hands were everywhere, ghosting over his broad shoulders and arms, stroking the muscles of his abs, massaging away the tension in his strong neck, splaying her fingers across his chest, thumbs overlapping over his heart.

“So warm...” she murmured against his lips as she felt the epicenter of his magick, pushing a breathy chuckle from his lips. She ran her hands in unhurried circles about his pecs, tracing his muscles, and adoring the span of his mouth-watering chest.

He could've purred with his delight.

“May I familiarize myself with you as well?” he said, a bit husky with want, though his desires were tugging, gentle, yearning things, not heated, impassioned ones. Rey nodded, cheeks burning as she hesitantly bit her bottom lip.

His masculine, wide hands were painstakingly gentle in the tracing of her curves and tight stomach, rubbing down her waist, over her hips, slightly skimming her thighs, and back up again. His fingers may have strayed a bit close to her breasts once or twice, but he never went so far as fondling her.

His eyes grew round and glassy when he sensed her profound shyness and trembling joy in the Ethereum at his touch. The wondrous, timid look she gave him as her chestnut eyes flicked up to him could have stopped his heart.

“You're so beautiful, my love,” he murmured, leaning back in to press his love against her mouth. It was a searching, calm, sweet thing, the timeless stretch where molded their lips together and drank each other in, hands slowly coddling and stroking, worshipping one another. Growing tired of planting herself against the wall to stay level with her fiancé, Rey dared go so far as gradually wrapping her legs around his waist and hoisting herself up. Kylo took the hint and pressed one palm to her back, the other gripping and gently stroking her thigh. The idly tracing of his thumb on her skin made her pulse careen with joy, and she let him know by aid of their mental bridge. He couldn't help the smile he pressed against her lips.

It was like floating in love incarnate. There was want and desire, but just the swimming in it, letting the gentle current eddy them along. Rey's fingers tracing her fiancé's sharp jawline and lightly tipped his head back, deepening their kisses and making Kylo moan with contentment. Her fingers wound into his hair and his stomach flipped, elated.

_My lady, I love you so, you and your marvelous kisses..._ he breathed, lost to the rush of his heart.

_As do I, my darling_ , Rey murmured back, nibbling his bottom lip in a gentle, playful fashion.

_I pray to the Gods I never tire of your lips – that your touch always makes me feel this way. I could die happy with that knowledge alone._

_Kylo!_ Rey laughed, her blush seeping into the Ethereum too. But unlike it had been thus far, her shyness wasn't as strong. She just felt warm and happy, not wanting to run and hide, but to embrace her joy, savor it.

_Thank you for that, my dear. That's very flattering of you._

He indulged himself a hint, dipping his tongue just inside her mouth for a brief lap and a slow, honeyed-kiss.

She moaned in his mind, and he was certain he could drop dead at that moment and be content.

_And I do so love your delicious, full lips, Kylo..._ she returned, making his flame gutter erratically in his chest.

They nibbled and suckled one another in delight, their movements growing more and more slow and placid and sweet, until they found they'd drunk their fill of one another. Kylo had never looked so handsome before as he did then, setting her back in the water, eyes doting, his pupils large and adorable, and his mouth red and kiss-bruised.

“Thank you, my dear,” Rey breathed, planting a light kiss against his chest, near his heart. “That was exactly what I needed...and wanted.”

“Gladly, my love,” he said, pecking her head.

“Hmmm – I do so like it when you kiss my head too,” Rey hummed, smiling.

“Good, because I don't instead to stop any time soon,” he said, nuzzling her hair and making her chortle.

They swam a bit more until they tired, called for lunch, lounged, and swam some more, swapping gentle, familiar kisses when the mood swept them up again. Upon their return to their suites as day's end, following a quick dinner, Rey spoke up.

“I think I'd like to sleep in my own bed, tonight,” she said, and Kylo wished he didn't deflate as much as he did.

“Oh...okay, my lady, by all means...” Rey gave his a lopsided smile.

“I adore cuddling with you, Kylo, but in fairness, we spent most of the day doing just that.” His eyes brightened in understanding and he nodded slowly.

“I see,” he murmured, letting out the words in a stretched sigh.

“But, I'll leave my door unlocked, and you're welcome to meditate with me during the Sacred Hour.”

His lips curled up in delight.

“I'd be honored, my lady.”

And join her at 3AM he did, sitting by her side on her meditation mat as their intuitions were tossed about in the nebulous Ethereum, tracing the swirling starlight, the fingers of the hands between them intertwined in utter contentment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated!


	23. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo keeps his promise. In the heat of the moment, Rey breaks one of hers.
> 
> Perhaps now, the deeper healing can begin.

Rey woke and dressed the next morning in an unhurried fashion, savoring her breakfast and the peace and quiet. She had no idea what plans were in store for the day, and she had few of her own to speak of besides continuing to explore her and Kylo's connection. She'd donned a dress as warm, yellow, airy, and light as her heart felt. She sat on her bed, tracing the embroidered patterns of pink and blue flowers on the skirt, shaking her head at her own foolishness.

On one hand, the continued fluttering of her heart at the thought of him felt ridiculous. On the other, it was wondrous in its comfort and novelty, knowing she was sharing those gleeful nerves in good company.

So, she went easy on herself and let the worst of her self-reprimanding thoughts go.

A knock at her exterior door made her heart leap in glee. It was him.

“Good morning, my dear,” she said, beaming at him, in spite of the return of his shielding helmet.

“Hello, sweet Rey,” he said chuckling brightly, onyx eyes glinting from behind his visor with glee. His doting words sounded a little strange coming out through the mask's modulator, but no less affectionate. “If you'll follow me, we have some important business to attend to.”

“Of what sort, Kylo?” she asked, easily falling into step with him as they paced the halls.

“I believe it's time we called your brother – if we wait too long to invite him, he'll arrive much later than our estimated arrival on _Mustafar-_ ”

His words were derailed by his surprise as Rey jumped into his arms, cheering in elation. Kylo slung his arms around her waist, laughing merrily.

“My darling, there's really no need-!”

“Yes there is!” Rey exclaimed, planting a kiss on the top of his helm, in the absence of any alternative. She landed firmly back on her feet with little effort. “C'mon on then! Let's not wait a moment longer!” she exclaimed, yanking him along, arm linked with his. Kylo chortled, woozy with delight.

“Alright then – to the stem of the ship, my lady! But, take a sharp left before you reach the bridge.”

Following his directions, they reached the communications center with little trouble and went inside the red-lit room.

“I took the liberty of making sure your call goes undisturbed – normally the banks of monitors are all manned,” he explained, shaking the ash from his hair as Rey approached the massive, central Uni-Screen in the heart of the circular room.

“Thank you, I appreciate the privacy. Trouble is, I'm not sure where Finn will even _be,_ ” Rey murmured, chewing on her thumbnail in thought.

“Do you have reason to suspect he'd leave your home in Niima?”

“Ordinarily no, but we were saving up so he could attend flight school on Coruscant. He could've went ahead and gone there in my absence.” Rey deflated slightly. “My wanting to stay was a big part of the reason why he didn't go sooner...”

Her fiancé's presence turned somber and comforting in the Ethereum, tendrils of his essence reaching out to practically enfold her, though the resulting effect was a barely-there brush of emotion in her mind, given his hesitance.

“...I think it unlikely that he would've left Jakku, in that case,” Kylo murmured, quiet and gentle. “I imagine he'd be waiting there for you, in case you came back.”

Rey smirked.

“Or, he went to join his boyfriend on Coruscant so he could learn to fly, team up with him, and stage a rescue mission,” she said, with a chuckle. “Not that I'm in _need_ of rescuing, or that there's any possible way he could know that, given how I left.”

In spite of her light, joking tone, Kylo's expression was terribly melancholy when she glanced his way.

“Kylo-”

“If I could do it all again, I would never have imprisoned you,” he said, hazel eyes wracked with guilt. Rey sighed.

“I know. But you were in a very different state of being that night, consumed by loneliness and lost – you were practically a different person. That doesn't justify what you did, but it does explain your actions,” she said, taking the few paces to stand by his side.

“How can you have forgiven me so quickly?” he asked, eyes glinting in confusion in the half-light.

“I haven't,” Rey said, without hesitation “I chose to move past it instead. Living in anger is against my nature, anyway.” Kylo's eyes were still downcast. She reached out and stroked his cheek, and the vulnerable look he gave her made her heart ache.

“You're far too kind, my dear...” he murmured against her palm, melting into her touch.

“Maybe,” she smiled lightly “but it's because you earned my kindness.” She stretched up and kissed his cheek, a gesture of comfort rather than a romantic one. Regardless, it pulled a smile from him and he seemed to find peace again, according to her intuition. She turned back to the central Uni-Screen, Kylo stepping out of its line-of-sight.

“Now then, I'll try home first,” she said, typing in her apartment's landline on the glowing keyboard, pivoting out from the monitor screen on an attached extendable arm. The line rang once, twice, six times, but no one answered. Doing some quick time-difference calculations in her head and concluding, given that it was four in the afternoon on Jakku, and there was no reason for Finn not to be at home, he must, indeed, be off-planet.

Rey's anxiousness spiked. If he had gone to Coruscant, or anywhere else, for that matter, how would she have any hope of reaching him? She wouldn't know the number of his dorm or temporary residence. Then, she brightened.

Maybe she didn't know where to reach Finn...but she at least knew his boyfriend's number by heart.

She called it, and Poe answered on the third ring.

“Hello? Who is this?” The video phone showed a rather messy living room, the couch strewn with half done laundry, the coffee table more forgotten drinks and plates than table, a disheveled Poe coming around the side to sit in front of the Uni-Screen, fussing with his dark, wavy hair.

“Poe! Thank the stars you answered! Is Finn there by any chance? Did he start the new term on Coruscant?”

Poe's jaw dropped at the sight of her.

“ _REY?! Holy asteroids,_ you're alive!! _Are you okay – where are you – are you hurt?!?!_ ”

“Woah, woah, slow down, Poe! Everything's fine, I'm perfectly alright!”

Poe eyes widened, wearily, his brow becoming drawn.

“Are you really? Or is that just what he told you to say? _Blink twice if you're being watched._ ” he said, quickly switching over to broken Spark-Speak, utilizing the second-language his boyfriend had taught him – a smart tactic on the Golem's part, if unnecessary.

“Poe, really – I'm _fine_.” Rey emphasized, staring Poe in the face, purposefully not blinking. His mouth twisted in a frown regardless.

“Then, why are you calling?”

“Finn didn't pick up at home. If he went anywhere else, I figured he must have gone to see you. Is he there? Can I speak to him if he is?”

“He's, um, Finn's...uuuuuhhhhh....” Poe trailed off, looking wearily off to the side of the camera. Rey cocked her head.

“What is it, Poe? Is Finn there with you?”

What followed was a lot of loud, panicked scrambling, ending with Finn falling onto the couch in front of her, shirt still untucked.

Tears sprang to her eyes instantly.

“ _ **REY!!**_ _Little sis, I can't believe it!!_ ” Finn exclaimed, voice equal parts fear and pure elation.

“Honestly, me either, little brother,” Rey sniffled, fighting through her sobs to speak. “I was so sure I would never see you again...”

“What happened? Why are you able to call me now then, I don't understand...” Finn said, swiping at his teary eyes too.

Rey laughed, a hysterical, mirthful sound.

“As crazy as it sounds – everything's changed!”

“What do you mean, 'everything's changed?' What, did you escape? Are you free?” Finn's expression warped and his eyes bored into her in warning. “Don't tell me there's actually something you found attractive in that bastard of a monster...”

“Rey – listen to your brother!” Poe interjected, eyes pleading “I don't care how good he is in the sack, that Inferi _kidnapped_ you – _don't. marry. him_. No matter what!”

Rey couldn't help her nervous blush.

“We haven't gotten that far, Poe, stars...” Out of the corner of her eye, Rey saw Kylo turn to face the wall, essence clearly giving off the signal he wished he'd chosen to wait outside while she spoke to her brother. His entire presence was flushing.

“ _WHAT?!_ ” Finn roared, jumping to his feet.

“Finn – calm down! Look, I'll tell you everything in full, later – once you get here, we'll have all the time in the world to talk, but the short version is this. He's _changed_. I've genuinely seen him grow into a good person, with a kind heart – and you _know_ me, Finn. I don't take asteroid lead from anyone. If he was still horrible, I would absolutely still resent him for it, and would refuse to compromise on the narrative the 'Man of Ashes' tales impressed on me all my life. But it's not like that anymore – he's essentially released me from my deal.”

“'Essentially?!'” Poe exclaimed. Rey rolled her eyes.

“At the end of our four-month courtship, if I want to leave, I can. I no longer have to marry him.”

“You're kidding...” Poe muttered, baffled. Finn's mind snagged on a detail.

“Rey – what were you talking about? You said something about 'once you get here.'”

Rey threw her arms wide, in an enthusiastic, welcoming gesture.

“You've been invited to Mustafar!” Rey exclaimed, letting her elation show.

“ _WHAT?! No!! You can't be serious!_ To the freakin' Emperor's Hand's _palace?!_ And I can see you – like, actually see you?!” Poe smacked Finn on the shoulder, hard enough to derail him.

“Babe, you can't be this honestly gullible – _it's. a. trap._ ” he said, emphatically.

“Sweetheart – if I don't take this chance, what else have I got?” Finn retorted, staring Poe in the face, pointed and conspiratorial.

“As hard is this may be to believe, my invitation is genuine,” said Kylo, suddenly appearing at Rey's shoulder, helmet donned.

Finn swore and Poe ducked for cover behind the couch, leaping over the back cushion head-first.

“I'm sending a shuttle to your location as we speak. It will bring you and your significant other to Mustafar in record time, should you choose to board it,” Kylo said, typing in a few commands into the screen, indeed ordering a Imperial light-weight shuttle to head to the location of the number they were on call with immediately.

“Alright then, why should we? What's your reason for the rare invite?” Finn asked, back-peddling in a way that struck Rey as odd, considering his eagerness to see her, merely seconds prior. Still, he stared at Kylo, fists clenched, Dream Dust flaring anxiously between his fingers – he seemed honestly concerned.

Kylo's voice took on softer, less Emperor's Hand-tone of voice, and Rey thought it helped his case immensely.

“Because your sister misses you – and it was despicable of me to make separating her permanently from her only remaining family one of the central tenants of my original deal.” Finn's brow creased further, if possible. Poe's eyes peeked over the top of the couch.

“You told him about our parents?” Finn asked, turning his eyes to her.

“...And the time you were nearly eaten by a Krayt dragon...” Kylo murmured, earning himself a playful elbow to the ribs. Rey glared at him as he rubbed his twinging side and chuckled, but she was grinning. Her brother and boyfriend's expressions were shocked by the time she turned back to face the Uni-Screen.

“...Huh.” Poe said, the most sage response he could muster in the moment. Finn took a deep breath, contemplating everything. After a moment, he answered.

“Fine. We'll go to Mustafar. Take care of yourself until then, Rey,” he said, saying the last words with a meaningful look.

“I will, little brother. See you in a few days,” she said, heart lifting in glee at the thought. Rey thought she saw the barest hint of a grin graze her brother's mouth before the call ended, but it was impossible to be sure.

Rey smirked/glowered in her fiancé's direction.

“Was it really necessary for you to intrude?”

Kylo shrugged.

“I figured it would be something of a show of good faith to invite them personally. Besides, they were already suspicious. At that point, speaking up and eliminating doubt from their minds is the more honest approach.”

She rolled her eyes, relaxing into a smile.

“So, what now?”

“If you'll follow me, my lady, I have surprise for you. Though, I doubt it will compare to seeing your family again.”

“Lead the way, my dear,” Rey said, slipping her hand into his waiting elbow. Based on the Ethereum's happy hum, he was certainly grinning beyond the mask.

~*~*~*~

He lead her to the Conservatory, and into the densest spot of vegetation, to the point where it seemed they might have been transported to a jungle by mistake. But, after parting the underbrush and ferns with a bit of her magicks, Rey melted at the sight before her.

There was a little, green, grassy clearing in the center of the circle of broad-trunked vanilla trees, and a cream picnic blanket was laid out on the lawn. The spread before her was delectable and immaculate, containing plates of tiny sandwiches, a cheese and grape platter, heated plates of spiced chicken and saffron rice, chilled plates with cheesecake, wine on ice, and a kettle full of water, prepared to boil tea at a moment's notice on the heating plate.

“Regrettably, I didn't cook anything in the meal before you, but-” She silence him with a long, slow kiss that sent rippling chills over his shoulders, in spite of his dark, satin coat and the warm room.

“It's still wonderfully sweet and thoughtful, Kylo.” There was that look again in his hazel eyes, that warmth and adoration she felt she could never tire of.

“All the same, I'll be sure to give my compliments to Daisy too,” she said, sauntering towards the cloth and taking up a comfortable seat, spreading her skirts out around her.

Kylo guffawed.

“Oh, _I_ see how it is...” he teased, settling at her side and fixing her cheek with a playful kiss, making her laugh despite her every effort to hold back the sound. They ate at their leisure, starting with the lighter fair as Rey wasn't quite hungry enough for lunch just yet. Kylo reassured her the specialized plates would keep the ideal temperature constant until she'd worked up an appetite, and she nibbled the appetizers without fear of seeming rude.

All the while, Kylo kept stealing glances at her that carried a hint of something too dark and mysterious to merely be affectionate staring. Finally, Rey interrupted the popping of her grapes to confront him on the matter.

“Stars – pray-tell, _why_ are you staring at me, Kylo?”

“Is it illegal for a fiancé to gaze longingly at his betrothed?” he murmured, impish. Rey raised her eyebrows, imperiously.

“Strictly speaking, I'm not your betrothed.” Kylo sighed.

“True enough, my lady, but it is difficult for me to consider you otherwise when you've worn my ring for the third day in a row...”

Dammit. She flushed.

“Fair enough, my dear, 'technically betrothed' it is...” Rey breathed, taking an irritated sip of her wine. Kylo slaked his thirst as well, chortling into his glass.

“Oh, forgive me, my darling, for being so relentless a tease. It's a symptom of my elation,” he said, resting his fingers lightly on her ring-bearing hand, thumb brushing her knuckles sweetly.

“I'm just thrilled that you're wearing it at all...” he murmured. Her chest seemed to balloon with warmth at his unconcealed adoration.

“Hmmm – I doubt that very much, Kylo,” Rey hummed, setting her glass down lightly. Kylo blinked at her.

“I'm sorry, my lady?”

Rey grinned.

“I don't deny that you may be elated, dearest. But then, I must argue that that elation is a symptom in it of itself. A symptom of your love,” she said, pulse already fluttering with the desire to entangle her fingers in his hair and kiss him breathless.

His eyes turned smoldering and molten, like twin pools of melted caramel.

“My love, you cut me to the core. You expose me entirely; yes, it's true, beyond a shadow of a doubt, all my foolishness is a direct result of my love for you...” he said, leaning in close. But instead of leaning down to warmly enfold her lips, he cuddled against her, left arm embracing her shoulders, nose snuggling against her hair again.

“Kylo...” Rey breathed, a little surprised, but no less delighted. He raised her ring-bearing hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, ardent and doting.

“Truly, I do,” he whispered, turning her hand, not taking his eyes off of her, as he pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist that sent shivers rocketing up her spine. “I. love. you. so.” he said, trailing pecks down her forearm and up her bicep to her gown's capped sleeves.

“I love you too,” Rey murmured, swimming in her passion already. Her fingers carded through his raven locks and he purred.

“ _Stars_ , I adore it when you do that...” he hummed. Rey laughed, a light, thin thing without much strength behind it as his lips kneaded the exposed skin of her shoulder and she swooned.

_You really were serious about your exploration of kisses, then?_ She gasped.

 _Yes, Rey, I intend to give you every kind of kiss imaginable..._ he rumbled back, smoothing back her hair behind her ear lovingly, eyes flicking up to meet hers for a moment, checking that everything was still alright. She smiled at him in adulation, cheeks beautifully flushed.

Then his lips found the soft skin of her neck and the world seemed to burst with light.

 _Kylo...!_ she sighed, the sound of his name gasped in delight in his head making his heart overflow. He worshipped her neck, trailing soft, ardent kisses up and down the beautiful column. Rey quickly found she was beginning to pant with her excited draws of breath. _My dear, I can't even put into words how good this feels, how sweet, how_ right...

 _I know what you mean, my darling,_ Kylo returned, kneading a particularly sensitive pulse point with added fervor – making Rey gasp, the sound almost drawing out in a moan. Her skin was staring to feel super-heated, her desire pulsing underneath her skin wildly.

The beautiful sound sent a shot of heat straight to Kylo's core – a conglomerate of happiness and lust – for perhaps the first time he could even recall. He groaned in her mind.

 _Rey, my love, the things you make me feel...everything is new and wild and strange with you, and yet, every_ moment _feels completely right..._

He lifted his chin to find her lovely lips once more, thrilled by the feeling of familiarity that accompanied their soft, pliant sensation. Rey's lips parted almost immediately, and when his tongue sweetly grazed hers, she moaned in earnest joy.

_My Kylo – my sweet, wonderful, gorgeous, Kylo!_

His heart skipped over a number of beats, but before he could implore her to calm and take things a bit slower again, for fear of how he might become too hot-under-the-collar and his passion erode his senses under their flood, she pushed against his shoulders, and had all but shoved him onto the picnic cloth. She came down with him, as his arms were wrapped tight around her waist, but still, the loving, fervid vehemence of their sloppy kisses didn't lessen. It was as if she was trying to swallow him, or drown him, and frankly, he himself almost didn't care if either occurred.

 _My darling, please, slow down..._ Kylo barely managed to gasp out, even in his mind, so high and foggy was his delirium. _I might burn-up like a meteor at this rate..._

She pulled away, gasping, and he blinked his pupil-blown eyes open to take in the sight of Rey, lips and cheeks flushed bright red, eyes filled with tender want, her pulse racing underneath his fingers.

The desire that coiled in his belly left him panting too.

“Sorry, my love, you're right. I want to savor this.” she murmured, fingers brushing through his inky locks as she caught her breath and calmed. “There really is no rush...” Kylo gifted her a beautiful, goofy smile.

“Not that I don't love your enthusiasm, Rey, but it's a bit of challenge to keep things gentle and chaste when you kiss me with such spirited passion...” Rey snorted with chagrin and Kylo matched the sound with a boisterous chuckle.

“Might I at least experiment with a few of my own kisses too...?” she murmured, leaning in for more.

“Absolutely,” Kylo muttered, already warmly enfolding her lips and making a laugh burble out of her throat.

Rey gave him a few zealous pecks on the lips, but then moved on, tracing the line of his jaw and impressing a sweet little path there, brushing back his hair so she could wander down his throat with ease. The sexy muscles there jumped at the unfamiliar contact, but Rey went slow and tender enough that the taught muscles were quick to cease their twitching and unwind. Kylo relaxed in her arms as never before, becoming almost sleepy in her embrace.

At least, until she decided to get back at him by kissing his pulse-point, lustful and hard.

 _Rey...!_ he cried out as his body reacted enthusiastically, his voice breathy across the bridge, and it made her chest squeeze with a want she couldn't place. Her desires for the Mystic were plain – but what their end were on this day were completely unknown. She certainly had no desire to go all the way, to strip bare and lose her virginity a matter of days into their earnest courtship. But exploring her lustier feelings for her fiancé was just so _fun_ and exhilarating, how could she not dabble in them a little bit?

 _Forgive me, dearest,_ Rey chuckled back _I was curious to see what echoing your kisses would inspire._

_At the moment, they might only inspire a heart-attack, or rather inappropriate behavior on my part._

Rey laughed.

 _Oh, Kylo, I'm certain it's not_ that _serious. And I certainly wouldn't mind seeing how enthusiastic you can be either. You needn't fear overstepping – I love your lusty kisses..._

His stomach clenched desirously at her forwardness, and he kissed her hard enough to make her head spin, his breathy groan feral and sexy in her mind.

She drowned.

 _Ben..._ she moaned, so out of it, floating on a desirous cloud, that she didn't realize she'd used his wrong name for several moments.

His mouth softly parted from hers and he met her eyes. Any of the heady confidence from a moment ago was gone, any tightness in his body going lax again. His hazel gaze was completely naked before her, brow raised in confusion.

Rey's error hit her over the head and her hand darted up to cover her kiss-flushed mouth.

“I'm sorry...” Rey gasped, horrified “I didn't mean to – it just slipped out,” she said, her explanation lame and inadequate, even to her own ears.

Kylo swallowed hard.

“It's alright. Accidents happen,” he muttered, and while she could tell his forgiveness was genuine, there was still a maelstrom of uncertainty whirling in his mind.

“My dear...whatever it is you're feeling, please tell me...” Rey murmured, trying to meet his averted gaze, speaking in a quiet, gentle tone.

Kylo sighed and shut his eyes, eyebrows raised in surprise and clear displeasure.

“Swimming in passion, tumbling in the throws of it, and you say my old name – not the one you've always known me by.” He huffed in frustration. “What am I to take from that? What – what can I possibly interpret?” he rambled, confused and hurt, still gripping her hands in his, nevertheless, as they lay on their sides.

“Would you prefer if I was _him_ , crown prince of Chandrila, not Lord Kylo Ren, Nightmare and the Emperor's Hand?” he spat, in disgust “Is that it?! Is he the one you're in love with?” he exclaimed, his pain more obvious than any flecks of anger it inspired.

Rey bit her lip, searching her mind for clarity and answers to his difficult questions.

“What I fell in love with was your kind heart, your desire to protect me and help me with my troubles, your patience and your gentility,” she began, as direct and forward as she could “I know not which of your identities that comes from – whether that's Kylo or Ben. For me, there is no separation between the two, except that of time. As far as I can tell, you are _both,_ ” Rey impressed, slowly stroking his cheek and brushing back his dark locks, his gaze gloomy and skeptical.

“So, as far as I'm concerned, I believe the man I fell in love with is a combination of these identities and roles, not one or the other. On the subject of your title, I never had any attachment to your status. The boy who might have become the Prince of Chandrila is someone I never met, and the man who was the Emperor's Hand was my kidnapper – and I had no great love for him either.” Kylo's expression morphed into something melancholy, but he understood the meaning of her words, regret for his harsh words strong enough to taste in the Ethereum.

“And as for the name itself, my only wish is that the day come when you stop fearing and hating your birth name, and can re-embrace it again with open arms – mostly because I feel it is a better representation of you than the domineering, merciless, executioner Kylo Ren. I fear, in your efforts to become him, you've hidden away or repressed the best parts of yourself...”

Kylo's eyebrows shot up, but no outburst followed, only contemplation and eventual nodding in understanding.

“...You never did pull any punches when speaking your mind, my lady. I am grateful for your honesty – even if I can't sympathize with all of you views.” Rey's expression soured.

“Which in particular?”

Kylo scoffed.

“ _Ben Solo_ is hardly a name that suits me better,” he said, lips curling in a sneer.

“Why do you say that?”

Kylo sat up abruptly.

“Because he's a pillar of Mystical legacy, a bastion of the Skywalker name! He's this learned, angelic, merciful, perfect Prince, who benevolently oversees Chandrila and keeps a flawless kingdom and he's a complete fabrication because that man _doesn't exist_.”

Rey could only shake her head as she rose into a seated position as well.

“That's who your _parents_ wanted Ben Solo to be, Kylo. Who was he _actually_?”

Kylo could only blink at her, frozen by this question.

“That's the man I'm concerned with – Thirteen Hells, I don't even care for Ben _Solo_ , I care about _Ben_. Ben, who wanted to be a pilot and befriended crystal butterflies and was a brazen adventurer and a talented, brilliant Mystic. It's him I'm longing to know. That's who I wanted to know all along.”

A long, silent moment passed between them, with Rey searching his hazel orbs for a reaction.

Then, to her awe, Kylo took a stuttering, slow breath, tears sprung to his eyes, and he kissed her, full and sweet and warm, presence zinging with joy.

She could hear him sobbing in her mind, though his chest was fairly still underneath her trailing palms. Her heart swelled and exploded with sympathy.

 _It's okay, my love, it's okay, please don't cry..._ Rey murmured, disclosing the bleeding of her heart to him.

_But Rey – my heart's overflowing with all the feelings flooding through it..._

He took one of the idle hands between them, and pressed her palm to the orange glow on his velvet-covered chest. His pulse was loud, strong and clear, and his flame-heart burning brighter and fiercer than ever before with its heat, with his joy.

 _My darling..._ she breathed, flushing at the intimate contact with his heart, with his bright emotions.

 _No one – not a soul until you, wanted to know me, so,_ he declared, vehement. _Then you come along and accept me so fully and love me so completely, how – how am I supposed to be?! How is a Mystic man to continue living as if his life hasn't suddenly experienced a revolution of pure and simple grace and complete ecstasy?_

Their kisses turned wet and salty as his tears dripped onto her face and lips, but Rey didn't care, she just held him tighter, free hand lovingly stroking his hair.

 _Finding you, being loved by you –_ _Nine heavens, it's like an act of divine intervention...You've saved me from the brink of oblivion..._

He sobbed against her mouth and Rey threw both arms around his neck to hold him close.

“You're a blessing, Rey...” he gasped, pressing one last messy kiss to her cheek. “You're such an utter blessing on my life...”

“I just wanted to help you,” she murmured, clasping his shoulders tight.

“And I think that made all the difference...” he said, a sound that was half laugh, half hiccup emerging from his throat.

They simply held each other for a long time, Rey rubbing his shoulders, smooth and slow, until his tears subsided and he'd relaxed totally in her arms.

Pulling apart from him, Rey offered the nearest cloth napkin to dry his eyes with.

“Thank you, my dear – and sorry for the salty kisses,” he said, flaring a bit with embarrassment. Rey shrugged, conveying her indifference as Kylo blew his nose with a forceful honk.

“I will think carefully over what you said, Rey, truly, I will,” he took a deep breath, eyes staring at nothing in particular in deep contemplation “...Perhaps it is time I began shaping a true identity. Between my parents pushing me to be the Prince or my sire molding me into the Emperor's Hand, I never really had time to invent _myself_.”

Rey nodded in understanding. He shed a tiny smile, and shocked her with his words.

“And perhaps, it wouldn't be the end of the world, if you did call me Ben. Just when we're alone, of course, to help me acclimate to it again.” Rey eyebrows shot up, bewildered but delighted.

“Really? I didn't think you'd change your mind so quickly – if at all.” He smirked.

“Then you clearly haven't been paying much attention, my lady. You've turned my entire worldview on its head, if not my world itself.”

She quieted his silly, saccharine antics with a sweet, nibbling kiss, turning the laugh in his throat into a pleased hum.

“Still, you were very clearly haunted by your old name,” she whispered, a breath from his mouth.

“It's hard to be uncomfortable with a name, even one plagued with so many bad memories as 'Ben'...when you speak and moan it so beautifully...” he said, eyes smoldering with undisguised heat.

Rey jumped to her feet with a shriek, dancing away from the picnic blanket, red-faced, even as Kylo rose and chased after her. Despite Rey's two clever dodges on the slippery grass, he had her trapped in his arms within moments.

“Ben, you're an absolute rascal!!” Rey whined as he kissed the top of her head, charming and warm and beaming.

“I'm told I get that from my father...” he said, stealing a kiss from her neck and going so far as to nibble her earlobe, making her stomach flip and face turn deliriously warm. Rey yelped and broke free from his embrace.

“You – bastard!” Rey screamed, punctuating each word with a punch to his chest. “How – dare – you – turn – me – into – a blushing – helpless – mess!!” He back-stepped and dodged and spun from her merciless fists until they were nearly back to the blanket, whereupon he seized her waist, captured her lips, stumbled on an upturned corner of the fabric, and fell.

The collapse of her body weight on him knocked the breath out of him, but when she lifted herself up to meet his eyes, he found he couldn't catch it again for entirely different reasons. The yellow dress Rey had chosen that morning had a rather flattering sweetheart neckline, and at this angle, between the creamy expanse of collarbone and cleavage, and the desire in her warm brown eyes that equaled his own, how could he not tumble headfirst back into passion and heady kisses?

Rey clambered up his chest to close the gap between them as he tugged at her lips in a warm and gentle fashion, laying flush with him so it could be an easy reach. His arms enfolded her and tiny, tantalizing, warm shivers ghosted over her arms and back. She reached higher, determined to get her revenge, and Kylo didn't have the sense to fight her off when her wandering, luscious lips passed over the shell of his ear and he bit back a low moan that set her skin aflame again.

_Now we're even._

_Not hardly, my love,_ he muttered, turning his head to venerate her neck again.

 _Sweetheart..._ she sighed, melodic and gorgeous as he deliciously grazed her skin, each kiss wet and lingering, lifting with a satisfying _pop_.

Time melted into meaninglessness under the press and brush of lips.

They traded kisses for what could've been minutes or hours, it was impossible to tell. The only true constant was love and adoration. They searched swathes of skin, peppering them with pecks, venerating wrists and collarbones, teasing lips and tongues, tracing jawlines and earlobes until they were both deterred from their passions by the other kind of hunger.

They rose and ate their still-hot chicken and still-cold cake, and, full, happy, and lethargic, laid down on the picnic blanket on their sides to resume their kissing, until they grew too sleepy and stupid-happy even for that. The healthy drink of wine certainly only contributed to their slower state.

“Would you hate it if we took a nap, right here? It's so warm and your kisses have turned me boneless...” Kylo said, with a cheeky grin.

“Not at all, my love,” Rey whispered, shifting so her head could rest in the hollow of his chest. He laughed, elated and boyish.

“You're sure? It won't disturb your circadian rhythm too much?”

“Ben, I'm a Duster. I'm practically nocturnal by nature,” she grinned, playfully kissing his neck.

In turn, he raised her hands to his lips, eyes dark and making her blush, and kissed the back of each hand in turn, gentlemanly and reverent.

“My dear, sweet, Lady Rey...” he breathed, pressing one more kiss to her forehead. Rey simpered.

“My Ben, my Prince Charming – who was nothing like what I expected and exactly what I needed.” Kylo rolled his eyes.

“Come here, you...” he said, eyes glinting with mischief, as he drew her close and rolled them over so her head was on his chest, tucked under his chin, laying over his flame-heart. Rey gave a small cry of surprise, then instantly relaxed into his embrace. She murmured happily, running her hand up to rest on his chest alongside her face.

“I'll nod off quickly, with your heart being so warm...”

Kylo laugh reverberated in his chest as he kissed the crown of her head, dotting it with kisses in a slow, ardent fashion that turned Rey's brain to mush.

“Sleep well, my love...” she breathed, the peace of sleep already starting to sweep over her.

“And you as well, my lady...” he muttered against her hair, drifting off as he held her tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	24. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo arrive on Mustafar, but far from it being a happy homecoming, there are unexpected guests waiting for them, and the guests they expected to have are not too keen on becoming friends with Rey's betrothed.

The days until their arrival on Mustafar passed by in a blur. Kylo was not as available to spend his all his time kissing and cuddling with her, as he was called off to more and more important meetings of political and military natures, leaving time for Rey to explore the library aboard.

She researched about the Children of the Stars and Mystic genealogy, intent on understanding Gaia magicks as best as she could. She was gaining a better historical understanding when it came to Grand Healers, but her research served a dual purpose. She was also hoping to find information on how to better help Kylo.

He'd certainly been a different kind of Mystic than an Inferi at birth; the scratched-out line on the Skywalker family tree confirmed that. She wasn't about to force Kylo to rid himself of his Inferi powers of course – fire and shadow magicks weren't inherently evil, anyhow, and were incredibly useful too. But, should he decide that he wanted to rediscover Ben's full Mystic potential, Rey wanted to be smart enough to help tutor him, and well.

That, and she was curious to learn more about his family, and the library had had a book on Solo family history. She'd been reading about Han and Leia's early relationship, marriage, and divorce, when to her utter surprise, she learned that in recent years, they had remarried.

She had to check the date a number of times, and glance further back in the text to make sense of it, thinking she was reading about the wedding again due to a misprint, but no.

A few years after Ben had left, Han had gone back to Leia and they had compromised and made it work. The thought cemented itself in her mind, even as she poured more words and facts about magick into her head.

Despite their busyness with both their new schedules, Rey now taking her meals with a book at her place-setting, the pair always managed to find time to exchange kisses and sweet mutterings, even if it was only for a few minutes in a hallway in passing, or in their rooms in the morning or at night, or during the Sacred Hour.

Finally though, the day arrived when the burgundies, flame-oranges, and soot blacks of the volcanic planet of Mustafar filled the view outside of Rey's window, and _The Desiderata_ was embraced by its atmosphere as they descended.

Kylo had awoken far before her to attend an early meeting, and Rey had been lucid enough to hear him instruct Phasma to leave a dress for her wear that would be considered appropriate fair to greet her brother as the betrothed of the Emperor's Hand.

Not having seen much of each other the previous day, they'd made the most of their minutes before they drifted off to sleep, tangled up in each other and melting in their shows of affection. So it was that when Rey awoke properly, it was to the sight of an empty, but warm bed, and a red silk tea-length gown hanging from the door of Kylo's closet, and, when she left the suite in pursuit of her fiancé's whereabouts after wolfing down breakfast, she exited through _his_ suite's door.

Which would have been an uneventful matter, had a florescent in the cul-de-sac's ceiling not imploded on itself the day prior.

“Well, good morning, Lady Rey. Fancy running into you again...” rumbled a low voice from above. Rey started in surprise, looking up to find Matt atop an orange service ladder, popping a fresh tube of soleon into its thin, metallic slot.

Rey grinned, letting out a little nervous laugh.

“Matt, you startled me. For a moment there, I thought you were my fiancé,” she said, approaching on stiff wedge heels to amicably observe his handy-work. “It's...spooky actually, how exactly like him you sound...”

Matt snorted.

“I know my voice has a low octave, my lady, but please, don't flatter me,” he said, jamming the second long-filamented soleon into its slot, replacing the thin glass cover and screwing it back in place with a motorized hand-tool. “It's impossible for me reach the depths of a bio-quake ripping through an undersea trench.”

Rey chuckled lightly at his words.

“When my fiancé's _not_ wearing his helmet, there's a striking similarity,” Rey amended, catching Matt's meaning.

Matt whipped around to face her as the florescent flashed back to life, adjusting to its warm, daylight glow from the default white as his eyebrows shot in his messy hairline.

He glanced her.

His gaze darted to the suite doors.

Then back to her.

And back to the doors.

His expression devolved into a devious, suggestive smile and Rey could feel her pulse jump with panic.

“Soooooooo, do tell, my lady, what is the Emperor's Hand like in the sack?” Matt asked, clambering down the ladder and leaning against it, without a care in the world.

Rey flushed with morbid embarrassment, but her lessons were quick to rise to her help.

“Matt, please, there's no need for that,” she said, calm and just imperious enough to keep her voice even and tone smooth.

“No, but really. Word of mouth says he has to be at least, seven, eight inches – Daisy bet is on nine, but Paige says that has to be impossible-”

“Matt, that's none of your business-”

“And, based on what you're saying, he fucks with the mask off? Huh – I never would've guessed.”

“ _Matt._ ”

Bolts of light shot from the freshly repaired fixture above, seized his bicep, and restrained his right arm against the ladder with colossal force. Matt yelped with pain, hissing as the light constricted, nearly burning him through the his leathery jumpsuit, but not quite.

“For your information, sleeping in the same bed is not the same as sleeping together – and Kylo showed me his face because I demanded it, so I could know him, Mystic-to-Mystic,” Rey said, measured and restrained, but unwaveringly firm.

Matt's eyes were round with surprise, but she couldn't quite say they were afraid.

“You've made your point. My apologies, my lady. Now, could you...?”

Rey was quick to send the tendrils, called to task instinctively, back to their place of belonging.

“I'll banter about most anything jokingly, Matt. But whatever bets about our relationship and sex lives are happening among the staff, I'd prefer not to hear about them in future – at least not spoken about like it's a crass contest,” Rey said, her sharp gaze ending the conversation. He rubbed his arm and Rey saw the glare of narcissism he was known for die in his eyes.

“Understood, my lady. But do you really mean 'anything'?” said the Golem, leaning in conspiratorially when Rey nodded her assent. “Am I ever going to know why I got the pay boost this month for pretending to fix a malfunction in an escape pod's fail-safes?”

Rey felt herself pale. This topic of conversation was hardly better than the last.

“If Daisy didn't tell you the specifics, then I trust her judgment that it was best that you didn't know.” Matt rolled his eyes.

“Seriously, how big of a deal could it be?” Rey's expression hardened.

“It was a very big deal to me, personally, Matt. A matter of my safety and well-being.”

Matt quirked a brow and Rey bristled, the ceiling florescent flaring like miniature sun accordingly.

“Don't look at me that way! Based on how you talked about my fiancé's appetites, I imagine you'd take the threat against my honor as a grand joke!” she snarled, Matt shielding his eyes with a yell, until Rey realized what she was doing and released the beam from her influence once more.

Matt lifted his head and before her very eyes, his took on the expression of a classic, stoic Golem. The radar technician was usually so animated with sarcasm and low-brow humor that an absolute drain of his emotions looked totally unnatural.

“Daisy and Paige...they've been through all Thirteen levels of Hell and back as servants. I've heard one too many sickening horror stories over the years. Asteroid's lead, I wish Daisy _had_ told me the reason for my necessary silence,” he said, running a hand down his face, presence spewing shame in the Ethereum.

“Damn it all, I'm sorry, my lady. I should have known better – you'll not hear another jab at your personal affairs with your fiancé, not from me.” His eyes were like rough, ancient boulders, firm and unyielding. “Whoever the motherfucker was who thought he could pull that shit on you, I hope he burns in the Thirteenth level of Hell.” He glanced up and down the hall before leaning in closer and lowering his voice.

“If you ever need help taking care of similar aristocratic assholes in the future – wiring a panic button, advanced security, extra alarms or cameras – look no further. And trust me, I've done my fair share of deterring and confronting predators too.” He grunted in rage, a low, dangerous sound.

Rey bit her lip and softened towards the cynical Golem.

“Thank you, Matt. I truly appreciate that, and I'll keep it in mind,” she said, laying a light hand on his shoulder for a beat. He nodded at her stiffly, stone-eyes melting back into a semblance of his usual, calmer self, as he began to gather up his ladder and tools.

“My lady!” a modulated voice called from down the hall.

“Good morning, my lord,” Rey said, formal, but injecting as much delight into her voice as she could to reflect the joyful little leap of her heart. Kylo swept up to meet her, a sweet look in his onyx orbs, all royal black regalia today, though his only armor was his helmet.

“We'll be making planet-fall shortly. Care to accompanying me to the docking bay?” he said, offering his arm.

“Gladly,” she beamed, taking it. Then Kylo acknowledged the presence of the radar technician and started.

“What is your purpose here, technician?”

Matt picked up his head, surprised at being addressed, but far from strictly formal, shoulders still leaned up against the wall as he stowed his tools.

“Fixing the malfunctioning light fixture, my lord – and keeping my lady company until her betrothed's arrival.”

“This is Matt, the radar technician I told you about?” Rey added in an undertone, wishing to clarify as quickly as possible. She didn't yet know if Kylo had the capacity to be the jealous type, but she had no wish to chance it – she felt something dark burgundy and swirling in his essence, the beginning of a sour disgust.

“Yes, of course, I remember. You assisted us in dealing with matters of protecting my lady's honor,” Kylo said, presence brightening substantially. Kylo gave a curt bow of thanks to the technician and Matt's jaw nearly hit the floor.

“I haven't words enough to thank you for your discretion and assistance,” Kylo stepped forward, dark cloak swirling as he offered his hand to the Golem. Matt numbly took it. “You see, there is no greater concern than the well-being of my lady.”

“Not a problem, sir. Pleasure to help out my friend and highness, Lady Rey,” he responded, dully, brown eyes still wide with confusion beyond his thick-framed specs. “Civil servant and radar technician Matt Ferrari, that's me,” he rambled “If you ever have need of my services-”

“I'll know who to ask for. Thank you. I'll be sure to pass my compliments on to your supervisor.” Kylo released his hand and turned, brushing past Rey and drawing her into his wake with grace, arm warmly linked with hers as they headed for the elevator.

“Stars, I'm not beginning to see things am I?” he said to her in an undertone once they were out of earshot. Rey bit back her giggle, unsuccessful.

“So you did notice.”

“How could I not – if I was blonde, we'd be twins. How in the Thirteen Hells?!-”

“A happy little Ethereal coincidence, if I had to guess.” Kylo sighed.

“Lacking a better explanation, I suppose that'll do.”

The lift down was a swift one. It couldn't have been more than two minutes, and then Rey was spotting rocky terrain and spewing volcanoes outside of the bay door windows at the back of the aircraft hanger.

“Most planet's at least hum in the Ethereum with life...but this place...” Rey marveled, scrutinizing the passing mountains and lava flows as they dipped closer to the surface.

“I know what you mean. Mustafar has always had strong connections to the stars and their magicks. And the Pumice Palace has a long history of being the residence of the Emperor's Hand, borderline channeling Nightmare magicks. It's...primal, in a way,” Kylo said, his admiration plain in his low voice.

Rey threw up her eyebrows, skeptically.

“Does it have a temple beneath it?” He groaned in disappointment.

“No – but its walls carry quite a weighty history.”

“So, it's just a fancy hunk of rock,” Rey teased, but Kylo didn't dignify that with a response, giving her little more than an eye-roll.

A few minutes before touch-down, Phasma arrived, flanked by guards escorting her meager belongings, all packed up from the day before. Really, it was just that Rey had liked her wardrobe and wanted to bring it with her, regardless of how rough and thrown together it had been to accommodate her while she was aboard.

Rey also accepted Phasma's delivery of her leashed companion gratefully.

“Beyond its Nightmare connections and volcanic activity, what else is unique to Mustafar?” she asked, curiosity piqued, BeeBee sniffing about skeptically.

“A surprisingly breathable atmosphere, given the volcanic activity?”

Rey snorted, Kylo's sarcasm obvious, even with the modulation. His eyes crinkled, and he gave her a more serious answer.

“Mustafar is home to many rare beasts. Every now and again you'll spot a lone, large, technicolor predator, usually with obsidian or crystals sprouting from its skin. The small-stature, furry herbivore populations are supposedly large, but quite hidden from prying eyes. The planet has greatly varying landscapes from spotty forests to black sand deserts to lush valleys. There's even a Nightmare temple, floating on a lake-isle north of the palace. No indigenous Mystic population to speak of, however, hence why we almost never see the native creatures – far too skittish and smart when it comes to avoiding us. The ashen smog tends to paint the sky with gorgeous sunsets and sunrises. And...the sight of the star-studded Ethereum quite takes your breath away at night...”

Rey smiled at the warm description of the planet that had been close enough to his heart for Ben to call home.

“Deserts, huh? Sounds like BeeBee should feel right at home, then.” His eyebrows lifted, his tacked on, hopeful comment bright in the Ethereum, though he didn't press and speak it aloud.

_And I hope you come to feel that way, as well._

_The Desiderata_ groaned monstrously as it settled on Mustafar's crust with a fearsome shudder, and when the gangplank lowered to reveal a terrain of cracked, red dirt, and a dusky, pale, yellowed sky, Rey wasn't immediately optimistic.

But, as Kylo lead her out, BeeBee all but charged from her arms, only staying tethered to her by the leash's handle. His determination to explore, tongue lolling happily, and the sight of a river of green water – not lava – cutting through the otherwise bleak landscape, gave her courage.

Turning from the ship, the sight of the Pumice Palace consumed her vision. The hulking structure's many needle-point spires seemed to trying to pierce the upper atmosphere, they stretched up so dizzyingly high. Its outer wall was thick and protective, Imperial soldiers guarded the ramparts and armored towers tirelessly. The colossal bars of the lattice, iron, front gate and had been beaten to a copper sheen by the drifting red dirt. The whole surface of the thick, stone structure seemed to have been carved from obsidian, and polished to a glassy shine, reflecting the fierce reds and oranges of even distant volcanoes dotting the horizon. The whole thing would have been a rather intimidating, threatening fortress, were the red dirt path leading up to it not lined with elegant stone statues of Phoenixes bowing and proudly flaunting their wingspan.

Rey approached the nearest one, tracing the elegant span of its swan-like neck, noting the fine craftsmanship of its immaculate feathers and sharp, shrewd eyes.

“Beautiful...” Rey murmured.

“They were made during my grandfather's time as Hand,” Kylo explained, his sudden, warm proximity to her right shoulder far from a presence that made her jump, like it had used to. “He wanted to soften the appearance of the palace, make it more the home of political adviser than a warlord. And he wished to honor the graceful creatures he so admired.”

“Is Mustafar known for them? Is there is chance I could see one?” Rey asked, eyes bright with excitement.

Kylo sighed, and her heart quickly sank.

“It used to be. They've all but vanished since the death of the Son's Heir, and no one knows why. They are considered sacred creatures to all Mystics, even Nightmares. It's impossible that they would have been hunted to extinction.” Now a decent distance from the gargantuan _Desiderata_ , Rey turned to take in its hulking form as Imperial soldiers began to unpack, passing by the pair carrying crates and stocks of supplies. Squinting, Rey walked a ways from the path, bringing BeeBee with her, bounding along in her wake. She circled the ship until the angles aligned and its form became clear.

She chuckled.

“Clearly you must have a great love for them too, given your ship is shaped like a Phoenix mid-flight,” she said, playfully ribbing her shadow. His hand curled around her waist unexpectedly, making her start, but then she molded herself against Kylo's side, the calming affect she had on him an obvious wash of lapis blue in his essence.

“Technically, it was shaped like a raven when my sire granted it to me,” Kylo retorted, his tone so warm, his lips had to be curling in a smile “But, I insisted on altering the exterior to better suit me.”

“Excellent choice,” she murmured, realizing she had yet to kiss her fiancé today as her lips burned from the desire for contact. “A highly fitting creature for yourself, my dear – loyal, benevolent, powerfully magickal, and a symbol of rebirth.” Leaning up against his chest, she'd never wanted him to drop his helmet for a more selfish or more minor a reason than the kiss she was craving in that exact moment.

His dark chuckle in her head made her swoon.

_Trust me, Lady Rey, I should like nothing more than that just now, as well..._

Rey pouted, pleading with her eyes, and the Emperor's Hand snorted loud enough to startle BeeBee.

 _Can't we come up with some excuse to steal a few minutes for ourselves? Perhaps you could take me up to whichever guest room I'll be staying in?_ Rey argued.

_First of all, my lady has her own room, built specifically_ _**for** _ _my future intended, not just any guest room. It's right across from mine..._

Rey warmed from the top of her head to her heel-encased toes, certain her smile looked delirious and stupid, but she couldn't be bothered to care.

 _Second of all, your brother will be arriving shortly, and unfortunately we haven't the time._ He took her hand and walked her with a purpose towards the portcullis, Rey sighing, but stepping up to match his urgency and speed.

With a nod to the guards from Kylo, the metal gate was raised, and after traveling through a short tunnel, they crossed the rocky courtyard and proceeded up the gray marble steps to the ornate crimson doors. A deep rumble shook the ground as they started up, and Rey's presence in the Ethereum became shot through with fear.

 _Not a bio-quake, my lady._ The Desiderata _is going into the hanger below ground for maintenance and refueling before its next flight._

Glancing back, Rey could indeed see the edges of a metal platform that had been revealed beneath the ship, causing it to gently sink into the earth. Kylo's arm supporting her in finding her balance again, they made quick work of the rest of the stairs and hurried inside.

Rey barely had a moment to take in the sheer, darkly colored opulence of the gorgeous oval front hall, with its wine velvet carpet, marble floors, winding staircases with dark wood banisters, tall crystal windows, and massive topaz and ruby chandelier, before Kylo swore, loudly, in her mind.

_**Mercury and lead-filled asteroids** _ _-!_

“Greetings, Lord Kylo and Lady Rey! I'm glad to see the remainder of your voyage was a peaceful one!” said a hacking Grievous, pale, soot-darkened shoulders shuddering under his cough. Behind him stood an imperious but neutral Earl Tyranus, an amicable, if wide-eyed Marchioness Tano, and a sour-faced Marquess Maul, who earnestly looked like he would much rather be absolutely anywhere other than here.

The Earl knocked his supposed bastard upside the head for having spoken, and Grievous ran from the room with a squeal, armored feet _clacking_ on the marble floor. Kylo, meanwhile, charged forward, Rey momentarily forgotten.

“Uncle, I thought I made _perfectly plain_ that officiating our courtship was antiquated and unnecessary-” Kylo snapped, voice low and dangerous.

“And at the time, dear nephew, I heartily agreed you on that score. However, my brother and your sire requested I oversee the affair as a personal favor. Had he not asked, I would not be here.” Kylo clenched his fists in thought, growled in resignation, and whirled on Maul instead.

“And what about you cousin, what's your purpose here?” he spat.

“ _Assisting you in the courtship rituals_ ,” Maul said, with gritted teeth, practically oozing hatred. Marchioness Tano tutted at the pair.

“Really _I'm_ here to help Lady Rey, Lord Kylo. As she's uninitiated in the traditions of Nightmare courtship, a mentor would be quite beneficial. Maul is just along for the ride. I couldn't very well leave him alone on Utapau for four months, imagine the mischief he'd get into.”

The Daemon glared at the Astrae with murderous intent, who blinked her pretty garnet eyes as if she'd done nothing wrong.

“Of course, I agree heartily with you on matters of privacy, cousin. I have no wish to watch the saccharine, steamy proceedings like a hawk. Courtship is personal, after all. But, I will be stepping in now and then. Otherwise, we'll be sticking to the East Wing – you won't even know we're here,” Tano said, bright and frank as ever.

“Likewise, nephew,” grunted Tyranus, stiffly.

Kylo cocked his head, growling.

“You're not here to report back to my sire, then, on my activities?” he said, gaze piercing Tyranus.

“Not your personal ones, no,” sneered the Earl, Pyrite eyes glaring with his distaste “Just what he asks after when I make my weekly reports, no more, no less.” Kylo straightened, his anger hardly abated, but certainly addressed.

“Now, if you'll excuse me, his sire asked an additional favor of me that I must see to, immediately,” the Earl said, gathering his burgundy robes about him and sweeping past Rey and out the front doors.

The air in the room remained thick with tension as Kylo slowly turned to glare at his cousin. Marchioness Tano was the first to break the silence, sauntering to Rey's side, latching onto her arm, and pulling her and BeeBee to the other side of the room, putting some distance between them and the Nightmare rivals, whose fiery hatred of one another crackled potent and sharp in the Ethereum.

“Don't worry about them, my dear, best to let them seethe now, get all their energy out so it doesn't explode later,” the Astrae explained in an undertone.

“But, Marchioness Tano-”

“Ah, ah, ah – Ahsoka, my lady. We're going to be family soon, after all!” the Marchioness tutted, eyes gleaming with humor. Bewildered, but heartened nonetheless, Rey asked her most pressing question.

“Ahsoka – what exactly do 'Nightmare courtship rituals' entail?'” Ahsoka shook her head in sympathetic fashion.

“You needn't look so mortified, dear, it's all very civilized. You give one another gifts, you dine on occasion, you dance together, you'll take an exploratory tour of your betrothed's home planet – in this case Mustafar – nothing too off the beaten path.”

Rey took a deep drought of breath at the wide-eyed Astrae's words.

“Okay, that I can handle,” she said, relieved.

“The most complicated business, I believe, will be learning the language of flowers so you can frequently gift one another bouquets,” Tano said, lips bunched to one side briefly, as she tapped her chin in thought.

Rey laughed in surprise.

“Really? That sounds rather sweet and sentimental for...” She pressed her lips together, stopping the flow of her words.

Ahsoka giggled, high and crystalline with mirth.

“I think you'll learn in time that Nightmares are the biggest romantics the galaxy over, my dear!” she exclaimed, between boughts of laughter.

“I think I already do...” Rey murmured, attention briefly returning to her fiancé, as he spoke with his cousin in begrudging undertones, making some sort of temporary truce as far as she could tell.

Then, as she watched, the front doors opened again with a creak. But far from Dooku covertly slipping back inside, they were thrown wide by the palace guards as Finn and Poe, dressed in similar weather-worn, brown, leather pilot jackets, Finn's worn over-top his beige Duster scarf, stepped over the threshold.

Rey didn't hesitate.

“ _FINN!!!_ ” she shrieked, and sprinted to the door, her brother's eyes lighting up the sight of her as he ran to meet her half-way, BeeBee yipping excitedly at the sight of so familiar a face. They collided and gripped each other, white-knuckled, as Rey's fingernails dug into the back of his jacket and tears blurred her vision. The desert fox insisted on circling them and jumping about them with so much excitement that his rope leash tied their legs together.

“ _Oh Gods..._ ” Finn choked out, voice already thick with tears “ _Sun-spot I missed you so much..._ ”

“ _I missed you too..._ ” she heaved, tears dotting the shoulder of his jacket.

He released her from his bear-hug, seizing BeeBee and detangling them, planting a rare kiss on the fox' head (which BeeBee didn't particularly love, but allowed anyway) and pushed Rey back to arm's length to examine her, smile growing wider at the sight of her all dolled up and happy.

“You're alright? Nothing broken – or bruised? You didn't catch any new virus did you? Or sprain a muscle from disuse and exertion?” Rey couldn't help her watery laugh.

“Finn, I'm _fine_. All of me's here, I promise you. _If not a bit extra from all the delicious food I've been having..._ ” Rey muttered, switching to Spark-Speak briefly to share that conspiratorial bit of information, causing Finn to snort with laughter. With the added phlegm in his throat though, the sound was choked. Poe barked with laughter too, understanding her joke, as he approached, offering her a hug too, which she gladly accepted.

“Glad you're doing alright, Rey,” Poe said, their attentions momentarily diverted from the happy reunion when Kylo cleared his throat behind her. Finn returned BeeBee to Rey's arms after one last affectionate scratch of his ears, which made him purr.

Rey parted from Poe's embrace, turning to face her fiancé as he swept into a respectful bow. Poe stiffly echoed Kylo's motion, while Finn stared at the Nightmare with vitriol in his gaze, refusing to budge for a moment. However, at a pleading look from her, he too halting bowed to the Emperor's Hand in greeting, his eyes staying murderously fixed on Kylo.

“It is an honor to meet you at last, Finn Somnus,” Kylo said as he rose, his tone amicably light, despite his formal words.

“Good to meet you as well, Lord Ren,” Finn said, stiffly, like his tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth. Starting in realization, he gestured to Poe.

“This is my partner, Poe Dameron,” Finn said, and the cocky Golem, in a rare show of genuine respect, politely nodded his head at the introduction.

“A pleasure, to be invited to stay at your palace, your lordship,” said Poe smoothly, surprising Rey further.

“I'm glad you could join us. I hope the journey was uneventful,” Kylo said, cordially.

“As much as it could be...” Finn said, the passive-aggressive undertone not something Rey particularly adored.

“Regardless, I'm sure that you're tired from the trip and could do with a meal. My staff have prepared a lunch for you in East dining room,” Kylo said, pointing towards the doorway that opened into a sun-filled hallway, leading deeper in the heart of the palace “Daisy, if you'd be so kind as to show them the way?” he said, picking up his head to address the head-of-household who'd suddenly materialized at the front door.

“Gladly, your lordship.”

Rey, however, was quick to catch on the little detail the others appeared to be missing.

“My lord, you won't be joining us?” she asked, the formalities sounding a bit strange on her tongue now, after so much time spent calling her fiancé by name and pet-names alike. But Tano and Maul – more so Maul – were in the room; her hands were tied by their expectations.

Kylo softened in the Ethereum, grasping Rey's hand in his. She missed the gentle touch of his skin – the presence of gloves, even cloth ones, was too estranging for her.

“I'm sure you and your brother have plenty of catching up to do and I do not presume to intrude. I'll rejoin you later to show you about the palace, but for the time being, I have business to attend to elsewhere.”

His mind was quick to reach for hers and give her a more complete explanation privately.

_I don't want Finn and Poe to feel as if you, or they, can't speak freely. My presence would only complicate things right now._

Rey smiled.

 _Thank you,_ she said, giving his hand a brief squeeze before letting go.

_For what?_

_For understanding, and trusting me._

“If you will all follow me, please?” instructed Daisy, taking BeeBee off of Rey's hands and passing him along to another servant, and the group promptly parted ways.

~*~*~*~

“So...let me see if I've got this all straight...” muttered Poe, exhausted, after Rey had told them the whole lengthy story from beginning to end. Their meal had long since been eaten, the only evidence of it left being the greasy, spice stains in the soup bowls.

“Because he loosened the conditions of your deal, and saved BeeBee, and showed you his face, and showered you with luxury, and took care of you...you're actually _in love_ with this Nightmare?” he asked, thoroughly bewildered, but not particularly argumentative.

“You forget he also respected my privacy and space, when he had the power and privilege to forgo either, wanted to get to know me, was willing to open up to me about his past, even though it was painful, saved my life, and defended my honor against predators, not once, but _twice_ ,” Rey corrected, firmly.

Poe sputtered his lips, collapsed in his chair.

“That is quite the tale, Rey...” Her gaze turned cross.

“You don't believe me?”

“No, no – I believe your story just fine. It's just the smoothness of such a drastic change that's confusing.”

“I'm not saying it was easy,” Rey retorted. “This was a long, slow process, an uphill battle dealt with day by day. But...in time, the façade of the Man of Ashes fell away, and I saw Kylo for who he really is. I don't know _everything_ him, obviously, but I do know that what I've been shown and told is the truth.”

Poe made a sound, somewhere between a laugh and a gasp.

“Well...there you have it. I mean, it's _absurd_ , and _impossible_ , but hey, life is like that quite a lot. Congrats on finally finding that prince you always wanted,” Poe said, ever the fool and charmer. Rey had nearly shed a genuine smile, when Finn scoffed, loudly, and her expression fell again.

“Sweetheart, you can't be serious-” Poe began, gentle, but exasperated.

“I am.” Finn retorted, eyes staring daggers at his boyfriend.

“Did you not listen to a word I said, Finn?” exclaimed Rey, shocked “Or do you just refuse to trust me?”

Finn turned his glare on her and Rey froze. Her brother had never had cause to look at her that sternly before. He chewed the inside of his cheek in disdain.

“I may have been invited. You may seem happy. And he may seem polite. But one thing is painfully clear to me, Rey – you've forgotten the lessons of your favorite childhood stories. Nightmares _cannot_ be trusted! They live on lies!! They hide behind complex disguises and false identities. You may think you know him – Thirteen Hells, I believe you think you know him! But it's all an act, Rey.”

Rey was already shaking her head.

“You weren't there when he showed me his memories, Finn. You're intuition never felt a drop of his pain, or his anger, or his shame. _I_ have, and if there's one thing I trust more than my own mind, it's my intuition!”

“Rey, I don't know what that monster is after, but whatever it is, it is not _love_. It is not a blissful marriage. He wants _power_. He saw something in you the night he kidnapped you – or have you forgotten that he did that?! He fucking _kidnapped_ you, and you're wearing his _**ring**_ _!!!_ ” Finn swore, jumping to his feet, mahogany chair scraping harshly against the floorboards as he stood.

“I know he kidnapped me, Finn, I'm not a fool!!” Rey yelled, standing in kind “Nor have I forgiven him for doing that, for taking me from you! But I know what I've seen, what I've felt, what I've experienced, and I have complete faith in that. If you adamantly believe the man I've come to love is not worthy of that love, than there is nothing I can do to convince you otherwise,” Rey said, shaking her head in disappointment. Finn's angry expression fell, replaced by a look of hurt.

“Rey-”

Whatever words he had planned to say died in his throat as Daisy swept in, announcing that Kylo was available now to show them about the palace, if they so desired. Rey was glad for an excuse, any excuse, for the conversation to end.

Taking her fiancé's arm, pointedly, Rey let Kylo lead the tour of the Pumice Palace. It was clear, even from the lengthy amount of time he showed them about, that there was more palace than Rey could explore in a lifetime. The maze of hallways lined with red-velvet carpets, tall, arched windows, and elegant black and white flower-filled vases standing sentry, seemed endless. Nearly every solid surface was either white marble, shot through with dark gray veins, black marble with spidery threads of white, or rich, dark, carved wood. There were dozens, if not nearly a hundred guest rooms, five decadent ballrooms, each themed around a different gemstone, bronze, silver, and gold-décor formal dining rooms, a prestigious research library, massive industrial kitchens, and an expansive underground hanger to house Kylo's small fleet.

Though there were plenty of red flower displays about to give the palace a bit of life, usually of roses, the one thing Rey found to be lacking was the palace gardens.

“Mustafar's soil is rich and life-giving. In spite of its cultivating potential, very few, if any, flowering plants grow here naturally. Any floral decoration within the palace must be imported,” Kylo explained to her, as they traced the wandering paths of the rock gardens, dotted with the occasional hunter-green leafed, knobby tree. The neat, careful pebble displays were elegant in their own way, Rey supposed. But, on a planet with a frequently smoggy sky, that was so rocky and dry in certain environments already, a rock garden seemed a rather morbid, bleak bit of ornamentation to her eyes.

As evening approached, the group retired to the private East dining room again, this time with Kylo in tow. Despite his attempts at small-talk, and his admirable queries about the pair's progress in flight school, going's on in Coruscant, life on Jakku, Poe's family, and so forth, it was the most quiet, long, painfully awkward meal of Rey's life.

Finn was borderline mute, so short and clipped were his answers. The moment Poe would become more friendly and offer Kylo a more amicable answer about his four brothers and sisters, or how his safety protocol professor was maddening, or how his last practical exam had gone, Finn would glare Poe's way and the Golem would quiet again, quickly abbreviating his answer. Eventually, Poe decided it would be best he not speak at all, and spent the rest of the meal bending his golden desert spoon into all sorts of impossible shapes with his nimble Golem fingers. He courteously straightened it back out the moment Kylo gave up and suggested they retire for the night.

Finn and Poe let Daisy direct them up the onyx spiral staircase to the East wing, while Kylo lead her up the opposite ivory West wing stairs. Though they walked arm-in-arm, neither said anything for a long moment as they passed many a tall crystal window, throwing crisp arches of light across the carved, marble hallway, lined with red wine-velvet.

Finally, Rey managed to loosen her melancholy tongue.

“I gave it my best. I spoke as honestly as I could without disclosing too much about your past but...they didn't believe me...”

His momentary flash of understanding plunged into deep sea darkness as Kylo understood.

“I appreciate you arguing my case so ardently, my love. It's likely more than I deserve...” When her gaze darted up, his hazel eyes met hers.

“Kylo, don't say that,” Rey said, heart saddening on his behalf. Her fiancé shrugged, apathetic.

“I gained a fearsome reputation of being a murderer, a sadist, and a Daemonic deal-maker over the course of ten years, my lady. It's going to take twice as much time to change such an impression, especially in the mind of someone like your brother, who is so singularly concerned with your safety and well-being...” he murmured, eyes cast in shadow as they turned another corner along the halls.

“But still, don't say you don't deserve my aid...” she whispered, trying to meet his eyes. It shocked her when their forward momentum suddenly stopped.

“We're here.”

“Oh.”

The sets of opposite, cream-colored, gold embellished double doors lead into domed-ceilinged bedrooms that quite took Rey's breath away. Everything was white silk and cream satin and curlicue, sea-foam shaped carvings and plush cloud-softness, and her bay windows had the most spectacular view of the fiery sunset just beyond her fluttering, light curtains.

Rey turned to face her fiancé, lingering in the door-frame.

“...I'm sure with time, Finn will come around. Honestly, there were times when Poe was already practically on board today, and he can be very persuasive when his stubborn fury is provoked.” Kylo nodded, but his eyes stayed melancholy and dark.

“Yes...Perhaps with time-”

“Ben.”

He picked his head up, eyes going wide. He still wasn't used to the sound of his birth name on her lips.

“No matter my brother's opinion of you, this doesn't change anything between us.” She walked forward, boldly, and stretched up to kiss him. After a day of strict expectations and tip-toeing into difficult topics of conversation, there could be nothing warmer or sweeter.

Rey lingered, enfolding his mouth and embracing the feeling of bliss. His eyes were much brighter when they parted and his hands fell around her waist affectionately.

“I still love you...” Though the smile this pulled from him was small, it was genuine.

“I know, my darling. All the same, I appreciate the reminder...” The barest hint of mischief in his hazel orbs made her chuckle.

“Have no fear, my love. We'll work through this too,” she said, caressing his cheeks in reassurance. Despite her chaste intentions, Kylo melted under her touch, eyes turning doting as he hummed in pleasure.

“What a joy it is, to have you as my partner in crime...” He bit his lip, hesitating and making Rey warm far too deliciously for her taste. “...Would you like to retire with me tonight?” he whispered, so charming and gentle that it took all her restraint not to blurt out an immediate 'yes.'

“Neither Finn nor Poe are entirely convinced that we aren't already sleeping together. Even if there's little chance they'll walk all the way over to this wing, I'd prefer they didn't stumble upon us sleeping in the same bed. Their theory will be impossible to argue against if they saw us cuddling...”

Kylo shed a small blush.

“Fair enough, my lady,” but then he leaned in, breath warm and his lips almost close enough to taste. “Then kiss me once more, with that same delicious, earnest love, before you go, so that I may be satiated until tomorrow...” he murmured, their noses brushing together gently.

Rey's face turned crimson. Nevertheless, she happily obliged, molding their mouths together in a sweet, sensuous fashion that made her heart swoon and his breath catch, as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck, and his hands lazily massaged her sides. When they parted after kissing each other as much as they could without drawing new breath, Kylo's face was as beautifully flushed as it been in _The Desiderata_ 's pool.

He pressed his forehead to hers, and Rey's whole world-view was his golden, love-filled eyes.

“Perfect...” he whispered, giving her one last tiny peck. “Sleep well, my love.”

“You too, my dear...” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek before it became out of reach.

She shut her doors behind her and leaned against them, already remiss that she'd insisted on sleeping apart from him. Her pulse _thrummed_ in ardent adoration, her sentiments echoed in the bursting magentas and blooming reds his presence tossed into the Ethereum, her waist missing the tender touch of his palms.

She shook off the love-sickness and busied herself by moving about the suite and into her closet (the door to it a proper one, made of wood and attached to the frame with copper hinges), shucking off her dress and shoes and ring, and found a wonderfully soft, ankle-length, cotton nightgown to don instead. She chuckled at the sight of BeeBee curled up in a newly torn up, plush pet-bed in the corner, crossed the wide room, crawled into her heavenly white four-poster, and let herself grow sleepier and sleepier against the feather pillows, until the sun vanished below the horizon, and she drifted off peacefully before she'd counted twenty glimmering stars in the night sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	25. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Rey's opposing views come to a head in the dead of night, resulting in an all-out fight between the Somnus siblings. Maybe airing their grievances properly can lead to them finding common ground.
> 
> Later, Kylo's new training regimen for Rey leads to him opening up a little bit more.

Rey knew something was wrong immediately upon waking. She wasn't intimately familiar with Mustafar's day-night cycle, but she knew enough to know it was still too early and too dark out for it to be morning. A hand slapped down to cover her mouth, muffling her shocked scream.

“Rey, it's us!” It was Poe, whispering urgently, brown eyes flashing in the half-light. Removing his palm, Poe allowed her to sit up in her bed, her gaze darting to a determined Finn, palm glowing with Dream Dust enough to dully illuminate the room, her Duster uniform folded up on one arm, BeeBee tucked under the other.

“Why did you wake me? What's going on?” Rey said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and jumping to her feet.

“We're getting out of here, Rey. And we're taking you with us,” Finn said. Rey started, taken aback.

“If you want to go back to Coruscant so soon, then fine, but-”

“Rey, you misunderstand, we're rescuing you – taking you far away from here, somewhere Kylo will never have a chance in Hell of finding you!” Poe exclaimed, lightly setting his hand on her shoulder. She was quick to shove it away.

“ _Rescuing_ me?!” She scoffed in surprise “I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm in no need to be rescued!”

“You're a prisoner here, Rey. I don't know why you want to pretend otherwise, but you are,” Finn said, dark eyes boring into hers.

“ _I am not!_ Thirteen Hells, how many times must I say it?! I _want_ to stay here, I want to see my courtship with Kylo through to the end. I _care_ about him, and he cares about me! Why do you refuse to accept that I'm happy with him?!”

Finn could only slowly shake his head at her.

“So, what do you think it is?” Poe asked his boyfriend, conspiratorially.

“I don't know. It couldn't be a spell or a hex, those we be easy to pick up, my intuition would read them as lies masked in truth. But Rey's only speaking honestly – it must have been some serious telepathic manipulation, like something done by a Seer, something to really brainwash her and convince her of another reality.”

“Oh, asteroid's lead, you can't be serious-!” Rey retorted, well and truly angry now. Finn grunted in frustration.

“We're running out of time. Grab her.”

Poe seized Rey about the shoulders, clapping his hand over her mouth once again, lifting her off her feet and hauling her from the room. Rey shrieked and fought, but against a pain-resistant Golem with steel for bones, no amount of pain from kicked shins and bitten fingers could persuade him to drop her. Finn set BeeBee down to walk beside him, tethered by his leash, and further restrained her, locking his arms around her ankles, lightening Poe's load. They ferried her out the door and down the hall, Rey continuing to shriek, even as Finn gagged her with her own scarf, freeing up Poe's hands to carry her by her locked wrists, Finn wrestling with her feet as they lashed out at every possible moment.

She couldn't believe her brother's audacity! To honestly convince himself that she'd been magickally manipulated into loving Kylo, it was a new extreme. She understood well enough the state she'd left in, the tragic dark night stark in her memories. But she'd spent the nearly the entire day with them, explained every little detail, and still, Finn refused to believe her genuine feelings.

That was perhaps the bit that hurt the most, as she lashed out and kicked and twisting her wrists, trying at every opportunity to free herself. She didn't want to hurt Finn and Poe – no matter how misguided, their intentions were good. But she was going to do everything in her power to make sure they didn't take her from here, not away from Kylo.

The irony of the thought wasn't lost on her.

In spite of her vehement struggles, the most she accomplished was making Finn change his hold on her legs after she'd nearly knocked the wind out of him with a strong kick. Now, she had next to no wiggle room, and no way to summon her starlight staff when her hands were restrained in clasped fists she had no hope of opening. She screamed louder against her gag, straining her voice in the hopes a guard, a servant, someone, would hear. But the palace was silent as the grave as they reached the bottom of the West wing stairs, the front doors now within sight.

Rey began to panic in earnest. It was one thing if they had been planning to take her back to flight school on Coruscant, but Poe had said quite enough to the contrary. If they were planning on a remote location, and knew she was intending on fighting and escaping, they likely weren't going to include her in their planning. Rey could end up on a distant planet, with no idea of where she was and no hope of returning, even if she could escape her brother's forced kidnapping. At all costs, she couldn't let them get her aboard a ship. But as Finn kicked open the front doors with his back to them, Rey's pulse sky-rocketed.

Breathing blue and white jet-fire onto the cobblestones was an idling Imperial light-shuttle shaped like a hornet. It wouldn't get far, but the little ship would put distance between them and Mustafar fast.

Rey's thoughts raced in desperation, body tossing and twisting like a ship on turbulent seas, scrounging for an answer. Then it hit her.

She built the mental bridge and screamed.

_BEN – HELP!! They're trying to take me away, they don't understand! Help me!!_

She felt his rude awakening keenly in the Ethereum, like a lightning bolt setting fire to a scraggly tree during a thunder storm. She sensed him tearing out of his room and sprinting down the hall, desperate to reach her, fear infecting every inch of him.

Rey kept up her fight against the two men, even as they began carrying her down the front steps, the entrance inexplicably missing it flanking guards.

_WHO IS IT?! WHO'S TAKING YOU?!_ he yelled, frantic across their connection.

_Finn and Poe!! They think I've been brain-washed – they can't imagine why I'd want to stay! I'm trying to fight them off but I can't. break. free!!_

_I'M COMING, SWEETHEART, JUST HOLD ON!!_

The transport's circle of headlights was nearly upon them now, and Ben's presence in the Ethereum was still too far away. Rey became seized by raw fury at the injustice of it all, eyes turning fiery yellow as a roar ripped from her throat. Twisting her whole body at once, she somehow managed to wrest herself from Finn and Poe's grip, getting her feet under her and running back, putting some distance between them. The loose dirt went flying and stained the bottom of her nightgown red in the process as she spat out her gag, Duster scarf billowing about her again.

“ _Stop!! This has gone on long enough!!_ ” Rey screamed, eyes further flaring with her molten, solar fury.

“Little sis, I know you don't understand why we're doing this, but you have to trust us! We're doing this for your own good – that _thing_ you're engaged to is a monster!” Finn yelled back, tone hard with frustration, brow furrowed in anger. “He does not – _cannot_ love you!! He's using and manipulating you!!”

“ _I don't know what his intentions were when he kidnapped me, but they don't matter anymore, Finn!! He loves me!_ ” Rey yelled over the rumble of the transport's engines.

“ _ **NO, HE DOES NOT!! HE'S DONE SOMETHING TO YOU, MESSED UP YOUR MIND, AND THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT IS IF YOU COME WITH US, NOW!!**_ ” Finn roared, expression twisted in anger, hand extended to her, fingers curled like a claw.

“ _NO WAY, LITTLE BROTHER!!_ ”

Finn charged with a yell of anger, but Rey's dodge was all too simple of a side-step. They kicked up the red dirt with their frenzied hand-to-hand combat, punching and blocking and kicking and lashing out and whipping away with frightening speed. Having been sparring partners for years, they were perfectly matched. Rey made Finn stumble with a clean kick at his shoulder. Then Poe locked Rey's arms to her sides, reminding her it was unfair fight, and she shrieked in rage as he heaved her off the ground, prepared to drag her aboard the transport.

But this time, her hands were free.

_WHAM_ , Rey's starlight staff extended from her palm, nailing Poe's jaw from below, causing his head to jerk back, and make him drop her. Rey used his stunned moment to whip around and hit him over the head again, hard enough to knock him unconscious in the dirt.

She twirled her staff in her hands and faced an astonished Finn.

_NEARLY THERE!!_ Kylo yelled in her head, reassuring her that she need only bide her time.

“Nine Heavens, Rey, _what did he do to you?!_ ” Finn yelled, voice broken and wounded at the obvious indication she'd broken a key commandment of her sacred Duster vow.

“There's so much more you don't know, little brother,” Rey said, refusing to land the first hit but readying herself for a fight all the same, lowering herself into a crouch.

The sight of Finn flying at her was still shocking.

He knocked her to the ground with his running leap, starlight staff coming up to block his half-hearted blows and attempt to throw him off all at once.

“ _You're sick, Rey, really sick!! Something's been done to you and I'm going to save you!! You're coming with me whether you like it or not!!_ ” Finn screamed, tears pouring down his face.

Time seemed to slow to an eddying trickle. She could hear the vibrations of his feet, pounding down across the entrance way. When she turned her head, she saw his raven locks fly about him as he charged out of the shadowy doorway and down the stairs. She could practically feel the heaving of his chest as if it were her own breath she was trying to catch, feel the pounding of his heart below her ribs.

But then Finn took advantage of her distraction and seized her quarterstaff, ripping it from her hands and hauling her to her feet against her wishes, wrists locked together.

A huge swell of energy charged within her, amongst her stardust, the universe leaping to her aid. She'd never felt such magick fill her body before.

“ _ **NO I'M NOT!!!**_ ” she roared, and the Ethereum exploded. From out of the red soil beneath her bare toes burst a wall of thick, barricading trunks and unfurling greenery, and dangerous thorns, razor sharp and viciously curved.

They enveloped her in a protective barrier, forcing Finn to drop her as he was thrown back by the shear force of the brambles bursting into existence, and still the thorn bushes swelled from the earth. But the longer the ground trembled and the verdant life emerged, the more Rey began to see it take on different kind of vitality. Tiny rosebuds appeared along the mass of branches, and burst into fragrant bloom, taking on the most perfect shade of red. The flowers grew massive, and their scent became heady and thick, intended to knock anyone senseless and sleepy who wandered too close.

The branches and brambles slowed their progression and growth once they'd put a six foot, circular wall around Rey, leaving a few inch gap her for to see Finn through as he stumbled and fell in the dirt, a vine wrapping in warning around the closer of his two ankles, but moving no further. Still, the bushes felt charged with energy and fierce life, ready to move and attack at a moment's notice, at just the barest order from her.

A cursory glance told Rey the rose bushes had given Poe a wide berth and that he was quite unscathed as he lay unconscious, that BeeBee was panting excitedly and tearing into the flowers, snacking on any lingering buds, and that Ben had reached the bottom of the stairs, and was staring at her, hazel eyes wide and round with awe.

Finn looked up at her as if he was gazing upon a stranger.

Rey inclined her head, just slightly, and the roses relaxed, blooms shutting tight and stopping the flow of the disorienting scent, the bushes settling back down to rest at their usual one foot and change height, and spreading out at the bottom of the stairs with little paths betwixt the formations for ease of movement. Even with these pathways breaking up the brambles, Rey's spontaneous, brilliant garden still nearly covered all of the courtyard.

Finn rose, hesitantly, as Poe groaned and stirred, but Ben was at her side in a second.

“Are you alright?” he asked, lifting her chin to examine her face, eyes wide. Rey nodded, numbly.

“Fine. Maybe a little tired, but I'm not sure if that was because of the early awakening or using so much magick at once...” she murmured, still bewildered by the spell of flowers she'd caused. It was as he stared at her, brow lined with worry, that she realized he'd foregone his helmet in front of her brother.

He shrugged, shockingly indifferent.

_It doesn't matter now. He's your family. He was bound to see my face sooner or later anyway..._

Kylo's hardened gaze turned on Finn, his hand staying reassuringly on her shoulder. Her brother was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, trying not to look the Lord in the face, not sure about approaching his injured boyfriend when the Man of Ashes and his angry sister stood between him and Poe.

“Listen well, Finn Somnus, because I'm only going to say this once,” Kylo said, voice firm, but low, carrying no threat behind it. “If you have even half as strong an intuition as your sister, you'll hear the truth in my words when I tell you that I am deeply in love with her.”

Finn's eyes widened, the whites gleaming in the lights of the idling transport, his shock plain.

“I would never wish for any harm to come to her. If necessary, I would give my life to keep her safe...”

Rey's gaze had to turn towards him, to stare at Kylo forcefully. It was one thing to take a blow for her, like a brother-in-arms, but she hardly wanted her fiancé to die for her if meant she would be left alone.

His eyes darted to meet hers, feeling her discomfort in the Ethereum, but from the squeeze of her shoulder, his message was clear. He heard her, and understood her fears, but they would have to come back to this conversation another time.

“I've come to care for her so much that I wish to marry her – not because of her potent magicks or staggering beauty that captured my attention initially. But so that I may have so kind a heart and clever a mind in my life, always, if she will deign to have me in hers,” Kylo finished, quiet and a bit shy, one corner of his mouth lifted up in a smile, turning to look at her when he ran out of words.

Rey's whole body warmed enchantingly, her smile spontaneous as she closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around his back, fingers gripping the edge of his shoulders. Kylo enfolded her in kind and she was flooded with bliss.

Stars, she loved him. She hoped he could feel the giddy, warm energy of it skipping and skidding about in the Ethereum.

His nose nuzzled the crown of her head.

Yes, he could.

They parted, and Poe let out another pained groan, attempting to raise himself onto his hands and knees, and Rey dropped to his side, cringing.

“Sorry, Poe, but in fairness, you _were_ trying to kidnap me...” The pilot mumbled something as she helped him sit, but while it sounded like “remind me to never challenge you to a fight,” Rey couldn't be sure. Rey let her mind dip into the Ethereum, her hands lightly holding Poe's head, thumbs resting on his temples as she encouraged his injuries to heal with ease (especially considering she'd never tried to heal force-blunt trauma to the brain before, and that such injuries were quite different from stitching burnt skin back together).

When Poe blinked his eyes open blearily, it was to stare at her in utter confusion, his vision clearing before her.

“What in the Thirteen Hells – when did you learn to heal?” She gave him a crooked smile.

“Kylo taught me. He encouraged me to discover the full extent of my Mystic powers,” she said, rising to her feet, and gesturing to the rose garden about them “Surprisingly enough, I had quite a few potent abilities.”

“So that's it then...” Finn said, just above a whisper, as Poe walked aboard the transport and shut off its engines, finally silencing the loud whirring, the only sound about them now the still night air. “You want to leave everything behind – Niima, your life with me, even your Duster oath – because of him?”

Rey felt herself flush with shame, but she didn't give in to the sensation.

“I am still a Duster, Finn. Even if I can no longer legally practice Dream Dusting, I still consider myself one. No amount of new magick can change the pull I've always felt towards the profession. But Finn...how you can advocate for Niima – you never had any fondness for Jakku! At least, not in recent years. You were always dreaming of someplace else, of living some other life. Now you're finally on Coruscant, learning to be a pilot, and in short order, you'll _have_ that freedom to explore and discover the galaxy like you've always wanted! I'm not there to hold you back anymore!!”

Finn sighed in frustration. “Maybe there's some to truth to that but-”

“And as for my relationship with you, brother, you're an even bigger fool than I pegged you for if you think that finding my prince is going to separate me from you. You are my brother, and we are stuck with each other for life, no matter that there is not a drop of shared blood between us, no matter where our differing paths take us, or who we become,” she declared, staring him down in defiance.

Finn swallowed hard, his eyes turning down as Poe rejoined them, taking up the spot at his boyfriend's side.

“I will always love you, Finn,” Rey breathed, hoping beyond hope that he might understand, even as his presence was awash with feelings of confusion and betrayal. He refused to look at her. After a moment of prolonged silence, Rey felt her courage fall away, sadness rising up dark and cold to take its place.

Then, Poe threw up his eyebrows in a flippant sort of fashion and spoke up.

“I may just be a Golem, with no psychic or telepathic abilities to speak of, but, babe, its pretty damn clear to my humble Mystic's perspective that these two are crazy about each other,” Poe said, gently, laying a hand on Finn's shoulder, trying to connect their gazes and get him to listen. Finn wouldn't budge.

Poe clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“It's also pretty obvious that your sister is as confident and sassy as ever, and is doing just fine, despite the classist struggles of Court life she's told us about.” Rey nodded her agreement. “Why is it so hard for you to accept that maybe this is what Rey needed – that this is finally helping her grow in way she never could have if she'd stayed on Jakku?”

“What about Mom and Dad, huh?!” Finn blurted out, eyes burning (not literally, as hers could) as he picked up his head and glared at her. “Have you given up on them, too?! Because the Rey I know would have never left Jakku, if there was even half a hope of them returning!”

Rey's eyes hardened.

“And the Finn _I_ know would never make ultimatums about my character like that. Half the time, he was the one actually _encouraging_ me to grow and change, to branch out, to find new interests, to fall in love, to leave Jakku!” Rey scowled at him, disgust and anger melding into a hot, vitriolic mass in her stomach.

“After literal years of trying to convince me to let go of Mum and Dad, trying to gently get me to understand that they were never coming back, you would turn my stubborn, foolish hope against me – _how fucking dare you?!?!_ ” Rey said, voice breaking as she dissolved into sobs, shooting daggers at him in spite of her blurry vision.

Kylo embraced her and pressed her cheek against his chest. She let him hold her, furious eyes not leaving Finn's face, until finally he broke down in tears too.

The moment her heart burst and bled, and she wished to close the gap between her and her brother to hold him, Kylo's arms fell away. Her nails dug into Finn's leather jacket again, they fell to the dirt on their knees, and cried.

“ _I'm sorry..._ ” Finn choked out, many long minutes later.

“ _Me too, little brother_ ,” Rey snorted, the sound phlegmy and ugly. They parted and wiped their eyes, looking at each with still-bleary expressions.

“So you accepted it, then? That they're gone?” Finn asked, hollowly. Rey sniffed.

“I don't know what happened to them, or why they were attacked that night. But it's clear to me now that if they wanted to come home, they would have fought through Hell to get back to us. As such...they have to be dead, must have been for years now,” she murmured. Finn sighed in resignation, his face carrying the weighty expression of someone who could finally mourn in company after a long time.

Out of the blue, shock crossed Rey's mind as she silently asked for her Duster uniform back from Finn and remembered. She inconspicuously checked one of its hidden pockets, finding the plastic data stick still hidden inside. Kaydel's drive.

In a palace so extensive, and with so much security and defenses – Rey could only assume, as even now Dragoon guards came flooding out the front doors and into the courtyard in earnest, alerted to the presence of a hijacked ship and the two unconscious guards, only to be called off by Kylo, who donned his helmet again so they would know he was their Lord and would believe the false-alarm. Surely, there had to be a central hub of computers or a data farm somewhere in the palace to control it all. She need only ask a trusted source of information to find the means to view the what was on the stick...and she knew just the Golem to ask...

But perhaps she was better off waiting until Finn and Poe's visit was over. They'd fought about enough already. She didn't want to further drive a wedge between them, should Finn and her end up carrying greatly varying opinions concerning the truth about their parents.

She would tell him in time, of course – when this night was a distant memory, and she felt he was ready to absorb the information.

But on top of everything else, tonight? It would be far too much.

Rey shook herself from her thoughts, returning to the problem at hand.

“Do you believe me now when I say Kylo is a Mystic who can be trusted?” she prodded, forehead creased with worry.

Finn let out a monstrous sigh, and set his hands on her shoulders.

“I don't understand it. Not one bit. It seems inexplicable, and impossible, and not to mention fool-hardy and brash. But my intuition, contrary to every bit of logic, tells me that the Man of Ashes loves you in earnest.” He shrugged “And that's something that I can't deny.”

Rey took in a huge breath of relief. It was a start.

“And do you believe me now, when I say that I love him?” Finn sputtered his lips, in complete bemusement.

“Considering what I heard you and him say, tonight? Yeah – I kind of have to,” he said, his chuckle dulled by exhaustion and strained by more tears. Rey smiled in sympathy, and dried his eyes with the end of her scarf.

His face scrunched up even more and he collapsed against her, sobbing.

“Oh – _Finn-_ ” Rey exclaimed in annoyance and pain, as her nearly knocked the wind out of her with the force of the hit.

“ _My sun-spot found the love of her life! She's is all grown up!!_ ” he wailed.

“FI-INN!!!” Rey groaned, loud and griping. He pulled away, half laughing, half crying.

“I'm sorry – I'm just exhausted – and ecstatic!!” he chortled, swiping at his tears, Rey rolling her eyes in abject misery.

“Finn Somnus, ever the king of one-hundred and eighty degree turnarounds...”

Poe barked with laughter.

“Grown up? I think your 'little sister' still has to lose her virginity before she can be considered 'all grown up!'” the Golem guffawed, crassly.

Rey's expression soured and she stood, dragging Finn to his feet with her and shoving him at Poe, sending both tumbling into the dirt.

“Damn you both to the Thirteenth Hell...” Rey muttered, as the pair dissolved into unapologetic laughter, clambering clumsily back to their feet, Rey finding BeeBee and gathering him up in her arms before he could eat too many rosebuds and make himself sick.

She started towards the staircase, following the call of her warm, soft bed, but then whirled to face her fiancé as he sent the last squadron of guards on their way.

“Any chance the Pumice Palace is equipped with dungeons? 'Cause I think these two could stand to gain from one character-building night spent in them.”

Kylo's brows rose in surprise, but his dark eyes beyond the green visor were already twinkling with humor.

“That could be arranged-”

“You wouldn't dare...”

Rey turned to grin smugly at Finn's indignant, shocked expression. Poe held up his hands in surrender.

“I was only an accomplice because he threatened me – my hands are clean!” Finn socked him in the shoulder, hard, Poe chortling and blocking his accompanying blows with ease, only raising Finn's ire higher.

...At least, until he drained all the fight out of him by fixing her brother with a particularly intimate kiss.

Rey faux gagged.

“Get a room, you two...” Poe came up for air long enough to give her snark.

“Oh, we plan to!” And then he dove right back in, open-mouthed and sweet. Rey groaned and averted her gaze, turning back to the stairs, Kylo following along in her wake, intent on escaping the private scene as well.

“Were you serious about locking them in the dungeons, my lady?” he asked, grin impish as they stepped back inside the safety of the empty, darkened hall, and he cast off his helmet.

Rey shrugged, uncertain.

“I leave the decision up to you, my love. Just make sure they're released by morning.” Kylo chortled with mirth as they walked up the East wing steps.

“No, but seriously, my lady – I'd hate to increase tensions between you and your brother all over again for the sake of a bit of revenge!”

Rey sighed, dramatically.

“Okay, fine – no, don't actually lock them up...as hilarious as that would be, you're probably right. If there's one person who can be more stubborn and hold a grudge in this galaxy better than I, it's my brother.”

Distracted by their laughter and conversation, Rey started at already having walked back to their neighboring suites, BeeBee leaping from her arms to go terrorize his bed some more.

Kylo chuckled, and the warm sound sent wonderful, fluttery feelings charging through her stomach.

“You're forgetting the other most stubborn person in the galaxy, my darling...” Rey smirked, catching on.

“Yes, of course. How could I exclude my handsome, determined-to-marry-me, Inferi fiancé from that group?” His expression softened so beautifully at her words that her pulse stuttered.

“Fiancé?” She grinned at him. “You're seriously calling me your...?” She nodded bashfully, standing on tip-toe to kiss him.

He hummed in delight and Rey drowned in the rush of love for him. They were quick to part from each other, but she stayed level with him, not wanting to leave his embrace so soon, or to look away from his sweet hazel eyes.

“I can't believe you earnestly consider me...” He laughed with delight, adoration rendering him speechless, pressing another lingering, soft kiss against her lips that made her melt. He was still chuckling when he rose for breath.

“Stars, I have a betrothed...”

It shouldn't have been possible for the Emperor's Hand to be _this_ boyish, this innocently charming and sweet, but he was and Rey was head-over-heels.

“Well, after everything we've been through, I think we're a bit past mere boyfriend and girlfriend, and I lack the knowledge of any other fitting vocabulary...” Rey muttered, cringing and a smidge shy.

His gaze was so joyous and soft. She could lose herself in those honeyed, golden-brown eyes if she wasn't careful. He sighed with languid rapture, kissing her cheek and resting his forehead against hers.

“Are you sure you won't stay with me tonight, my love?” She laughed, but it was so light and musical he couldn't be hurt by the sound.

“I should like nothing more, my dear, but if I join you, I doubt I'm going to spend much time asleep!”

He grinned guiltily, his mind already running wild with tempting, delicious thoughts of kissing her senseless.

She bit her lip in thought.

“But, if you allow me this night of rest after all this chaos, I promise I'll join you tomorrow...?” His little moan of glee as he kissed her, deep and lovely, was everything.

“I'll take it,” he said, breathless when he lingered, letting their nose brush against each other. “Sleep well, my darling.”

She chortled.

“Didn't we do this once, already?”

He moaned, wearily, making clear the night had tested his patience too. Rey laughed, but it was an exhausted sound.

“Goodnight, Ben, my love,” she whispered, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before retreating to her room.

Even as she sighed and changed into a clean nightgown, relaxing again now that everything was resolved between her and her brother, a twinge of niggling concern kept a bit of her restlessness intact. As such, she locked her bedroom door from the inside, moving the golden key that had been resting in the lock to the opposite side of the room, far enough that no amount Golem magnetism magick could attract it.

If anything, Kylo was more likely to intrude to sweetly kiss her awake than Finn and Poe were likely to betray her trust again. But all the same, locking the door settled her worried, tired mind, and allowed her to sleep until morning, undisturbed.

~*~*~*~

Rey awoke the following morning to a knock at her door and a call of “Lady Rey! Breakfast!” in a tone of voice that was decisively not Daisy's. Rising groggily and throwing on a robe over her nightgown, Rey unlocked her door and was greeted by a grinning Ahsoka standing behind her breakfast cart.

“Marchioness Tano?!” Rey blinked, so surprised that she forgot they were on a first-name basis now.

“Don't looked so shocked, my dear! I was on my way to deliver something to you anyway and thought I'd save Daisy the walk!” Ahsoka pushed the cart into the room, long, layered, turquoise blue taffeta skirts swirling behind her, as the golden bangles on her wrists _clinked_ together in a sweet chime.

As Rey pulled up a chair and tucked into breakfast, Tano set a book on her nearby, white, wooden, shell-top desk. She cocked her head at the cover and understanding dawned.

“' _The Language of Flowers' –_ Ah, I see...”

“It's just a general overview to help you, though I suppose the favors should be all too easy a task to prepare, given how strong your nature magicks are,” said Ahsoka, with a light chuckle. She settled herself on the loveseat at the end of Rey's bed.

“I'm sure you have questions. Ask away, my dear,” she said, smiling sweetly, her sage eyes wide with curiosity and mirth, as ever.

“How often are we expected to gift flower arrangements to each other?”

“Hmmmm, it usually varies from courtship to courtship. At least twice a week should do. The general rule of thumb is you always return a favor in kind – so if my cousin doesn't gift you a bouquet that day, then don't fuss over making one if you aren't feeling particularly inspired. If you are, by all means, favor first!”

“How does one make an arrangement, anyhow?” Rey said, thickly between bites of toast to help balance out the protein-heavy meat and eggs.

Ahsoka's eyes _winked_ with dazzling, technicolor-tinted starlight as she grinned deviously.

“You make them around the predominant feelings of the day for one another! Think of it as trading secret little love messages. There are meanings behind most every bloom – not all of them positive though, so you must choose your flowers carefully! It's a terribly romantic little way of disclosing your feelings of admiration or joy or fondness or bliss, it's all very sweetly specific,” Tano laughed, the rich, musical sound matching surprisingly well with the cheerful _jangling_ of her bangles as she gesticulated with excitement.

“It's especially helpful for shy Nightmare lords – a way of declaring ardent feelings without words.” Tano chortled, grin turning impish. “Maul gave me quite a few head-turners back in the day, especially considering how stoic he could be!” Rey had to laugh along with that sentiment. “Although, I doubt my cousin has such difficulties loosening his tongue...”

Rey rolled her eyes massively, cheeks warming slightly, making Ahsoka break out into peals of hearty laughter.

“You should have heard the saccharine, ridiculous compliments he gives me on a regular basis! The worst are the ones he won't even say out-loud, he just speaks them mind-to-mind with the help of his Seer magicks.”

Ahsoka's eyes widened, mimicking a curious owl as she tilted her head.

“Seer magick? Huh...”

“What is it?” Rey asked, wearily, as she sipped her green tea.

“I'm aware my cousin has his limited Seer abilities but...that's usually not enough to bring together the thoughts of two Mystics in the Ethereum. You must be a very powerful Mystic indeed for bridging your minds to be a frequent, easy occurrence...”

Rey shrugged, her blush a mild little thing.

“So seems to be the norm. Thank you for the book and your answers, Ahsoka,” she said, wiping her mouth with the cloth napkin and rising from her seat as she deposited it on the cart without ceremony. Tano grasped the silver handle and began pushing the cart back towards the door.

“Gladly, my dear. I'd recommend you start some preliminary research before joining his Lordship to see off your brother and friend – he's likely to give you a bouquet today, right off the bat.” Ahsoka shed a guilty grin. “I may have given him a copy of the same book earlier this morning...”

Rey sighed.

“Duly noted, Ahsoka. Thank you!” With a gentle nod, Ahsoka left, taking the food cart with her.

Rey readied herself, dressing herself in a light pink, lace gown, knotting her hair in an up-do. She chewed on her bottom lip as she adjusted her eye makeup, flipping idly through the tome in thought. Finn and Poe were leaving already? Sure, she understood well enough why, after last night. But would one fight really make them run off so soon?

“Finn has his first exam in two days,” Poe said, grinning with chagrin when she stood in front of the pair a few minutes later, next to her fiancé dressed in gray silks, toting his helmet once again, given the number of guards that were now protecting the front courtyard.

“...You're kidding.” Rey groaned.

“Nope. And we'd best get going if I'm going to make it back in time for that, sis. But, our first break in the semester is in six weeks. We'll be back then to visit, for certain,” said Finn.

“Absolutely. Do you think we _want_ to go back to cafeteria food and dorm mattresses right now? Hells, no, we'd stay a month if we could!” Poe added.

“But there couldn't have been a worse time to have hop over to the Outer Rim...” Finn concluded, his grin matching Poe's.

Rey sighed, languid and dramatic, and embraced her brother, squeezing tight.

“Safe travels. Don't talk to strange space pirates. And good luck with that exam...” Rey muttered, making Finn chuckle.

“Thank you, sun-spot, we'll be careful. You just take care of yourself too, okay?”

“Will do.” After giving Poe a quick hug as well, the pair boarded a freshly-fueled light-shuttle and took off with a roar, leaving a massive, red, dust cloud in the courtyard, roses being tossed about by the relentless wind.

Turning on their heels, the pair went back inside.

“...Any particular ideas for how we should spend the day, Kylo?” Rey asked, warmly squeezing her fiancé's arm.

“Good morning to you too,” he said, with a modulated laugh.

“Yes, I suppose I did skip over that bit – good morning!” she chortled, smile wide.

“I have just the one idea, and it's not likely to consume the entire day. But first...”

He'd taken them down a new path, deeper into the Eastern half of the palace and past the dining halls. In the sun-brightened hallway, he stopped, helmet dissolving into cinders on the floor, unbuttoned the front of his coat, and removed the favor from his inside pocket with a particularly dramatic flourish, bowing slightly and offering it to her.

It was three red roses, medium-length stems elegantly tied together with a length of blue ribbon, wide, green leaves framing the blooms like an origami collar.

Rey felt her face flame fiercely.

“Kylo...” she breathed, flustered, and gladly accepting the favor, hugging it to her chest. His smile turned bashful as he straightened up.

“I figured I'd go with something simple to start. I'm hardly an expert when it comes to flower arrangements, but I decided it would be hard to get wrong a universal symbol of love...” he said, shyly fidgeting with the buttons on his coat. “They're not your roses, of course!” he exclaimed, panic flashing across his gaze. “I obviously wouldn't give you so cheap a favor. They're from the palace's décor stock, Daisy helped point me in the right-”

She pressed a kiss to his cheek to help stop up his nervous rambling.

“They're beautiful, Ben...thank you,” she murmured, inhaling their gentle scent deeply, lost in thought. “The only trouble is I didn't make one for you yet...”

“Fear not, my lady, there's really no rush-”

“But I want to gift you one, this very moment...” she murmured, and the adorable sincerity of her tone made his cheeks flare crimson, and rendered him quite speechless.

“Could you give me a minute alone to come up with one?” she grinned, fidgeting with leaves of her favor.

Kylo beamed with unrestrained joy.

“Certainly.” He turned the corner to give her space and, glancing around, Rey raced down the hall to the nearest planter she spotted.

She hadn't gotten very far down the list of flower meanings, only getting to the C's in her book, but one particularly amusing meaning had caught her eye, and it fit her current situation quite perfectly. If only she could stumble upon a flower to serve as a compliment-

Red carnations, humble blooms just peaking out of the potting soil. Marvelous. She need only change the color to suit her needs, and her offer of innocence did just that.

The white camellia burst into existence from nothing with her gentle command, concentric petals whirling open with a flourish. Setting it as the center-piece of her bouquet, she surrounded it with three small white carnations, manipulating the stems to tie themselves into an elegant, loose knot, the stems coiling and looping like little green snakes.

Rey smiled at her token hopefully, and, snapping the stems short, she hurried back to the corner where he waited and presented the favor with a shy little curtsy. It only took a moment for him to interpret her meaning, and then he was flushing with pleasure.

“You think me adorable, do you?” he said, twirling the bouquet between his fingers, dreamily.

She nodded, smiling cheekily. He chuckled.

“You'll have to help me with the carnations though – I'm not familiar with the sentiment behind them.”

“They serve as compliments, too, for how sweet and lovely you are, my dear...” Kylo visibly swooned, his intake of breath becoming a husky huff against her lips as he couldn't hope to stop himself from fixing her with a sweet kiss. Rey could, likewise, neither resist the passion that flooded her system and made her go lax, nor leave his loving caresses unrequited.

His gaze was beautifully dark and dazed when they came up for air.

“My love, you're laying it on a bit thick for a first bouquet...” he murmured, head bent against hers, nose still nuzzling her cheek.

The storm of butterflies in her stomach caught a sudden updraft and in her delight and timidity she sought to let his chest and arms enfold her and give her sanctuary.

“It's well-deserved praise, my dear,” she retorted, face on fire.

“I'm not denying that, my lady. I only mean that my naïve heart is set to racing, and takes to your sweetness like a moth to flame. I may yet burn alive if you don't soften your exaggerations.”

She giggled, pressing a milder kiss to his lips in turn, and she felt in the Ethereum when his skin zinged neon with ecstatic electricity.

“No, my love. I avoid exaggeration like the plague. You're only getting honest sincerity from me.”

“Stars, _stop it_.”

The sheer joy and desire he poured into his kiss made her head spin, her giggle dissolved into a pleased, desirous sound. He didn't stop the tugging, teasing exchange of longing kisses until she was well and truly drunk off of them.

“Thank you, my darling. I'll wear it with pride,” he murmured, grinning as he tucked the favor through the buttonhole on his jacket's lapel. Rey bit her lip in thought, wondering what to do with her blooms for a moment, until the idea struck her.

Reaching up, she slotted the stems into her messy bun, and channeled her giddiness into them. The flower's stems wrapped themselves up in her hair, the rose blooms settling themselves atop her bun.

The love-struck look he gave her in turn almost made her want to dive back in for a third round of kisses.

“My Lady Rey, you are entirely too wonderful for your own good,” he said, gently grabbing her and leading her along by the arm, making her chuckle with mirth. “Now, let's get to the activity I had in mind before I give in to my pining and spend the rest of the day kissing you.”

“Hmmm, that doesn't sound nearly as wasteful to me as you make it sound...” He guffawed, but restrained himself long enough for them to reach their destination.

The long, airy room, with its scuffed wooden floors and modestly squat windows seemed out of place in the grand palace. But, one glance around at the impact mats and wooden racks, storing both training staffs and sharpened steel blades, and its purpose became clear.

That, and Madame Rose was standing at the room's center, dressed in comfortable clothes that could pass for a blouse and dress slacks, her molten sunshine staff already clasped in her dominant hand.

“I don't understand, Kylo...” Rey murmured, turning to face her fiancé “Madame Tico already taught me self-defense skills.” Kylo gave her a grim look through his emerald visor.

“I know that, my lady. I'm also aware that you were restraining yourself during last night's...events because you did not wish to bring actual harm to your brother and his partner. However...the truth is I fear for you,” he said, voice taking on a somber, dark tone.

“Last night was one thing, but it threw into stark relief that I might not always be close enough or fast enough to come your aid in time. I wish you teach you how to fight to _my_ specifications, so that I needn't worry for your safety so...”

Rey stared at the corner of the dull, blue training mat in thought, heart twisting with his fear. She met his dark, concerned eyes.

“I understand your sentiment, my dear. I'll do what I can to expand my knowledge and advance my fighting skills. But what exactly do you mean by 'your specifications'?”

“Madame Rose is here only to serve as a sparring partner to show me what your baseline is. After that, I will be teaching you personally, not so different from how I was trained for the Boreal Guard,” Kylo said, voice determined, but of an instructive nature.

Rey's eyebrows quirked upward in surprise, but she nodded nonetheless.

“Very well...” she murmured, approaching her old etiquette teacher, who handed her a white tank-top, dark pants, and tennis shoes – loose, simple, work-out clothes.

“Please get changed next door, and then come join us, Lady Rey,” Rose instructed, and after a quick turnaround at the adjoining locker room, Rey emerged feeling better equipped for the task at hand (if looking a bit less princess-y).

“Ready position,” Tico instructed once she'd moved in front of her, her glowing eyes already narrowed in focus. Rey stretched her starlight staff into existence, clutching it in her hands.

“Begin!” Rose said, moving in fast with a sharp downward strike. Rey exchanged parries and thrusts, jabs and fakes with her tutor, moving at speed. Rey didn't access as many openings as she would have liked, landing only a mild hit here or there, but Rose didn't manage to land one. Either Rey's staff was at her defense, blocking the hit with her bones reverberating, or she'd already dodged and was out of reach, her Duster agility guiding her feet straight and true.

Eventually, Rey saw her shot and stuck her staff between her body and her opponent's. With a smart twist, Tico was disarmed, her sun-staff skidding, powerless, across the mat, and flashing out of existence.

“Thank you Commander for assisting with the demonstration. You may return to your duties,” Kylo said, with a nod. Tico responded in kind, the Commander's gaze harder as she stared at her once-inferior pupil. Her smile grew considerably kinder as she looked Rey's way.

“Best of luck with your continued self-defense training, Lady Rey. I hope we'll have the time to resume our etiquette lessons soon.” There was something vaguely conspiratorial in Rose's tone and glimmering eyes as she turned to leave, but Rey decided to let it go. Even if she did somehow know that she and Kylo were technically-engaged through Paige, the gossip was just dust in the wind.

Turning to face Kylo, Rey exclaimed in shock as she lost her balance and the world tilted, her back landing on the mat hard. She snapped into a sitting position, huffing through her nose. She noted that Kylo had exchanged his princely silks for comfortable dark cotton as well, as he dismissed his helmet now that it was just the two of them, and crouched down in front of her, leaning on the ebony training staff he'd selected from the rack. His hazel eyes had reassumed the steeliness of a serious instructor, even as Rey was momentarily distracted by the fact that his work-out shirt appeared to be missing its sleeves, his deliciously strong arms on full display.

“Lesson one, a true opponent won't observe the ceremony of chivalrous combat. They can strike you at any time, at any place, and catch you completely unawares.” Rey glowered, and, faking him out with a strike at his shoulder, knocked his legs out from under him by assaulting his ankles, his tumble far less painful (physically, at any rate, she wasn't sure of the emotional ramifications) given that he'd been balancing on the balls of his feet.

“I'm quite aware of that, thank you, my dear,” she quipped, smartly.

Kylo righted himself with a cocky smirk, and lunged, staff-first, Rey quick to tuck and roll out of range of his strike, jumping back to a standing position. He rose as well, twirling his staff about, passing it from hand to hand.

“Show off,” Rey teased, with a wicked grin. He winked at her before he fell through the shadows in the floor, and she had to whirl around lightning-quick to catch his jab with her staff as he emerged behind her, fire-eyes smoldering, skin singing with wispy shadow-energy.

“Lesson two, if your opponent finds a physical, environmental, or magical advantage, they will take it, without question. Fairness has nothing to do with it,” he grunted, pushing back against her with his full body weight. She wobbled, but didn't lose her balance or give up ground “Learn to anticipate this ruthlessness, and exploit it, if you can.”

Rey simpered, a scheme rising quickly to her aid.

“What? You mean like this?”

She stopped pushing against his stick, side-stepped its sharp, downward swing, and, barring any secondary hit from his weapon by crossing it with her own, she slipped into the opening she'd created and kissed him, open-mouthed. The momentary surprise was all she needed to wrest his weapon from his hand and shove him to floor, end of her staff wavering just above his Adam's apple.

Kylo glowered at her, clicking his tongue in annoyance, though his cheeks had turned bright red.

“Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you.”

His flame-sword burst into existence, clashing with her starlight staff, and whirling away was all Rey could do to stay on her feet, there was so much force behind his blow. For all his upper body strength, he didn't go for brutish swings and slashes of raw force once he was standing again. He was quick, precise, and demanded laser-focus from her to block all his hits.

Their weapons spun and twirled so fast they left streaks of light behind in their vision. Even when she advanced, she felt as if she was still on the defensive, so determined were his defensive attacks. Whenever he truly went on the offense, she refused to give him an inch, barreling aside from the onslaught and take up a new position on the floor rather than lose the one she had. Their weapons sang from impact, a high, whiny sort of sound, somewhere between the tinny hum of space-ship engines, and the high, glassy ring of chimes. They were perfectly matched, tit for tat, parrying and striking, dodging and ducking with graceful fluidity and agile strength, circling the floor as they tried to overtake one another.

Ultimately, though, all it took was a moment of Kylo exploiting his one genuine advantage, his sheer strength, sword crackling against her quarterstaff as he leaned down upon her. She shifted her weight, hoping to push back against him from a new angle, failed to block his surprise swing, faltered, and fell. Even on the floor, she didn't admit defeat, catching the point of his sword in her bar, the fiery tip implanting itself a few inches into the sturdy, ethereal quarterstaff.

They were heaving with their efforts. Rey couldn't remember the last time she'd sweated this profusely.

“Do you yield?” Kylo huffed, blowing a lock of hair out of his eyes. Rey tried one, last-ditch effort idea, attempting to twist to her staff and yank his sword out of his hands. He was wise to her trick, using the moment to pull the guttering blade from the stick of starlight, resting the point near her clavicle instead. Rey groaned, exhausted.

“Yes, I yield. Let me guess first though; lesson three, there is no yielding in real combat?”

His grin was positively wolfish, and Rey wasn't sure whether to be excited or terrified.

“Not hardly. Lesson three is that the winner gets to kiss the loser until they've had their fill,” he said, eyes flashing with mischief.

“ _No!_ ” Rey shrieked, smiling, striking hard at Kylo's blade, the lava sword flying to the other side of the room and winking out of existence. Rey threw her body forward and leapt to her feet, unbalancing Kylo with two quick jabs to his hip and his opposite knee. Even unarmed, Kylo wasn't about to go down without taking her with him, his hands latching onto her waist as he fell.

They landed atop each other, gasping and laughing, Kylo's chest shuddering beneath her heartily as they chortled, Rey wiping stray tears of laughter from her eyes. Eventually, their mirth gently ebbed away, and when it did, Rey found her face was flaming. She was straddling his waist, her thighs hooked over his hips, the position far more intimate than either had intended.

His gulped and his hands darted from her as if burned. Rey was quick to stand, tucking a bit of loose hair behind her ear, inserting it back into her nest of a bun with the aid of the roses' stems.

“I guess we'll call that a draw...” Rey muttered, smiling shyly. He gasped in laughter, gratefully.

“Yes, I suppose so. Apologies, my lady, I-”

“It's fine, sweetheart.”

He threw up his eyebrows at her, blush deepening to her eyes.

“All's fair in earnest combat. You didn't mean anything by it, I know.” Kylo fussed with his hair mindlessly, his smile carrying the tiniest hint of pride.

“I do so love your fire and fierceness, my lady. It seems as if I won't have much to teach you after all; lesson three is that there is always a way to turn a fight to your advantage, even if it seems improbable,” he said, lips quirked in a half-smile as he explained.

“Ah – I see,” she murmured, her body passion-warmed and her eyes probably straying to his lips a bit too tellingly. “Is your lesson plan akin to a ten stage program?”

“Something like that...” he muttered, completely distracted by her flushed face and parted lips.

He bit his bottom lip, pensive and hesitant. He didn't want to push too far.

But all the same, he wandered closer to her, and reaching out to lift her face to his, molded his lips to hers, plush and earnest. She swooned, leaning into his touch and throwing her arms around his neck.

_Ben, my love, you're so sweet to me..._ she breathed, wanting and delighted. He matched her fervence, kissing deeper, fuller, letting the earned tangerine kinetic energy from sparring with her fuel his passions further, turning their fiery reds burgundy in the Ethereum.

_Stars, my darling, you set my head spinning...I don't what I would've have done if I hadn't found you...Gods, I'm so grateful you stumbled into my suite by mistake that night on Jakku..._

The searing pressure he tattooed to her lips struck her like a promise. She felt in the caress all his fervence to protect her, to shield from harm, the reason for their sparring gone passionately awry.

A curious thought arose softly from the void, and Rey floated up out of her desires with it, feet coming to rest on the ground again as she slowed the flood of their kisses.

“I can understand well enough why you love me, now,” she murmured, pressing one last tender thing to his mouth, his eyes shaded by a deep, adoring desire, the golden flecks sparking warmer than usual. “But there's still one question that disturbs me, not knowing the answer to it.”

“Ask away, my sweet,” he muttered, so smitten she very nearly _did_ combust with her blush.

“Why did you make your proposition to me on the night we met? What about me marked me as an eligible wife, back then, when you knew nothing about me?”

Kylo took a deep breath, eyes slipping shut. His sigh was lethargic and melancholy, his lips pressing themselves into a thin line. And the shock of red-blood fear in the Ethereum...it set even Rey's heart racing with anxiousness.

But there was clear resignation in his eyes the moment he looked her way again.

“Yes, I suppose it is time I told you the truth...” he said, eyes round with worry, even as hers widened in surprise with the knowledge that there was, in fact, a concrete answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated!


	26. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo's lives seem to become horrifically tangled in prophecy, in more ways then one.  
> The future seems a perilous path, that they must navigate together in order to choose the life they truly want.
> 
> Or
> 
> Kylo shows Rey the Nightmare hall of prophecy, and Rey finally looks at Kaydel's data stick, and her life gets turned on its head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a heavy one. Tragic times ahead, but fear not, there is a slice of comfort to go with this angst.

They showered briefly and changed back into their finery in their respective dressing rooms, reconvening outside the training room. Kylo led her by the arm deep into the East wing, through a shadowy side-corridor, and down a long, dark, flight of spiral stairs, their stone rough, earth-toned, and utilitarian compared to the rest of the grand Pumice Palace, as were the cast-iron sconces, aflame with fluttering torches.

She was certain they were a good two or three stories beneath Mustafar's surface by the time they reached the stair's end, and Kylo unlocked the ebony door at the bottom by commanding the shadows to shape themselves into a sinuous key, sharply turning the creaking bolt out of its slot.

The chamber beyond was massive, and glimmering from the vague, warm-toned torchlight, and the sharp shafts of silvery daylight raining down from the skylights. The walls, floor, ceiling, and broad support columns on the periphery, were all made of the same beautifully shaped onyx, the facet lines clean and sharp, and allowing the precious stone to appear light from within.

“This is the Hall of Prophecy,” Kylo spoke in an undertone, as if he were afraid of drawing the attention of a vengeful spirit down here in the palace's catacombs by speaking too loudly. “The prophecies carved all over the surface of the wall were collected and engraved by various Emperor's Hands and Nightmare nobility over the years, and were usually foretold to them by the Grand Healer of the day.”

Rey parted from his hold and began to wander along the wall, tracing the etched prophecies with her fingers, feeling the careful, shrewd, angry, and cold energies they left behind in the Ethereum. The longer she looked, the more words she spotted that struck her as familiar: snippets about the Great War, the _Mors Sideris_ , the Son's Heir, and Skywalker twins, and other bits of History that had left an irrefutable mark on her life.

There was even a recording at the center of the forthcoming of a great Somni and Nightmare that would bring about the end of the Son's Heir's reign, the vision of Grand Healer Yoda that had changed the galaxy forever.

“Nightmares have something of a dangerous obsession with destiny and the Gods' plans for us, if you ask me,” Kylo muttered, suddenly standing right next to her. Just as quickly, he began to walk away from her, to the last prophecy written along the left-hand wall “I used to be much like my court, in that regard...which is why...”

He stopped at the etching, face an inscrutable, melancholy mixture of emotions. When he opened his mouth again, he was speaking at little more than a whisper.

“This is the only prophecy here not carved by Nightmare hands. My uncle left it here for me, the last time he came to see me. We'd always had a difficult relationship, as I did with all my family. He was never really a part of it to me – I always just viewed him as my teacher, my master, and his time was too divided amongst his many students to notice my struggles...” His tone was thick, his words ebbed forth slowly, painfully.

“When he visited me not long after I'd taken up the mantle of Kylo Ren, it was in a desperate gambit to dissuade me from that path before I became too deeply entrenched in the Nightmare way of life. He didn't understand it was already too late for me. There was nothing he could say to make me change my mind. All the same...I lacked the hatred to be able to fell him on the spot. So I demanded instead that he leave with his life...in return, he gave me this...”

Rey wandered closer until she was standing right in front of the crudely carved prophecy. It read, in the plain, universal language:

_Born into weighty promise and hefty gold chains, the next servant of darkness comes._

_He, who was failed by blood and raised by tainted water, shall grow strong in solitude,_

_But there shall be fragments yet to be assembled, knowledge yet to be obtained._

_The quest that leads the Emperor's Hand far and outward shall turn in,_

_Upon the discovery of a Mystic most humble,_

_Met underneath the moon with eyes like molten sun_

_She, with name of solstice's light, shall make sense of the severed pieces,_

_Reunite the whole, and gift unto the Emperor's Hand,_

_The_ _Nightmare's Executioner,_ _The Feral Flame, and The Deal-Maker of Daemons_ _,_

_Great magicks, strength as yet unknown to any Hand,_

_And power a hundred times that which he already possesses._

_United in the sacred ties of man and wife,_

_She of Dust and he of Ash,_

_Shall give the galaxy new order and life._

Rey carefully read the prophecy through once, twice, three times, to make sure she absorbed all the pieces and understood the information therein.

The truth emerged, stark and clear.

He'd asked her to marry him initially because he thought she was the woman of this prophecy, the solution to this riddle, a key to more power. She was no master when it came to word puzzles, abstract thinking of that sort was usually Finn's department. But even she had to admit, it all fit rather perfectly.

An Emperor's Hand, born into wealth, and high expectations, betrayed by his family and raised by malicious influence – that sounded quite a bit like Ben. Her name evoked the sun. As a Duster, she was considered a more humble Mystic than most. It mentioned her Duster role almost by name towards the end. It even made particular note of her unusual glowing eyes...

Her heart sank into her stomach, that she couldn't help. It saddened her, at least a little, to know that this was how their relationship had begun. She let her fingers run over the letters rough edges, finding them even cruder towards the bottom of half the verse, the memory of their meeting a very different, much more aggressive vision in Kylo's presence in the Ethereum. Rey could tell it haunted him, painfully so.

But regardless of how poorly, how darkly it had started, they were at the beginning no longer. Rey knew, instinctively, knew as well as the beat of her own heart and the thrum of magick in her veins that Kylo loved her.

He'd confessed his relationship to this prophecy himself last night, and his words had rung true: _I wish to marry her – not because of her potent magicks or staggering beauty that captured my attention initially, but so that I may have so kind a heart and clever a mind in my life, always..._

She had to put stock in that truth, because it carried a lot more weight and worth than a few rough stanzas on an onyx wall, written by a man who'd only, at most, known half of the story.

Rey turned her gaze to meet Kylo's and his hazel eyes were wide with awe. He could already feel her potent resolve, like a calm, strong sea in her presence.

“...I was so sure you'd be furious...”

Rey shook her head.

“Knowing the truth perhaps saddens me a bit, but...” she smiled at him softly “I hardly need to ask if your true aim is gaining 'great magicks' anymore; I know so much has changed. I know how you truly feel...” Tears sprung to his eyes in instant and he embraced her, clasping her shoulders hard.

“...I was so afraid...so terrified of losing you. There was no telling what might happen if I told you...” he muttered, against her hair, a bit of dampness gathering there. She squeezed his middle, letting his raw affection seep into her very bones.

“Fear no longer, my love,” she whispered, rubbing his back as he sniffed. “I know the darkness you were in when we met, and I know you do not make your choices in that bleak place anymore.”

“If the Ethereum tries to grant me new magicks upon marrying you, I swear to you now, I'll refuse them outright.” She barked with laughter.

“Kylo, you needn't-!”

“Yes, I do need to swear! I know you understand, but I need to speak it aloud, for myself! To declare to every Ethereal God that's listening, that even though this prophecy was where we began, we shall end from it as far as possible...”

His wet, sweet kiss on the crown of her head, only made her heart and arms squeeze harder.

“Thank you for telling me, my dear. It means a great deal that you chose to share this difficult piece of truth with me,” she said, pulling away, tenderly wiping away what sparkling tears she could spot by the guttering, orange torchlight.

He kissed her, hard and ardent.

“And thank you, for everything else...”

They simply held each other in the half-light for awhile, savoring the other's presence and gentle embrace. It was peace, their presence's entwining ribbons of energy, tinted silver and gold, moonlight and sun.

But the longer the minutes ticked by, the more Rey became resolute. She didn't like the implications of this prophecy, not one bit. She didn't put much stock in it, of course, she never really had when it came to foretellings of the future – an ever-changing truth that was impossible to pin down until it was too late and you were already in the thick of it. But while the history of her family remained uncertain, and her magicks grew stronger every day, the prophecy's words rang with a dark, echoing, infrasonic tone of truth.

She could wait no longer. The moment she had a minute to herself, she was taking that data stick in hand, hunting down Matt, and spreading out the answers of her past at her feet.

~*~*~*~

As luck would have it, after lunch Rey was left entirely to her own devices. Kylo had a number of meetings and war councils to attend to until late evening. The latter of the two made her eyes widen fearfully, but he assured her these days, 'war councils' meant organizing standing armies and quelling riots and small rebellions, not war in the traditional sense.

She slipped the Connix' data stick into the pocket of a cream blazer she threw on over top of her pink dress, and went searching.

Her quest began in the kitchens, a floor below the dining halls of the East wing.

“Matt? I believe he's doing maintenance work in the server room upstairs,” Daisy said. Rey had to employ all her restraint to keep herself from roughly seizing Daisy by the shoulders when she vehemently asked for directions.

Her route clear in her mind's eye, Rey went up two flights of stairs, and across a walkway to the West wing, resisting the urge to run all the while. She, however, walked with swift purpose, and even though her desire to know of her past was no great crime, she wanted to look as inconspicuous as possible. After all, she hadn't forgotten Kaydel's warning on the back of the stick: _View when you're alone._

There was likely a very good reason behind that sentiment.

Ignoring the message about **Authorized Personnel Only** on the slate-gray, metal door, Rey turned the knob and pushed it open, finding herself amongst the flashing green lights, blue-lit linoleum floors, and cramped maze with thin aisles betwixt the squat rectangular prisms that was the palace's server farm.

She walked down the rows until she spotted an olive jumpsuit, orange vest, and rumpled blonde hair.

“Is what you're working on right now preventing the palace from blowing up?” Rey asked, lightly, tilting her head to inspect Matt's handy-work. He was soldering a shiny, new circuit board into place in the drawer of modular hard-drive components he'd pulled out to inspect, screwdriver held between his teeth.

He glanced up at her, mildly.

“Er-ermgh,” he hummed, ducking his head to resume his work.

“Is is part of a crucial security update?” He finished soldering up the circuit board and removed his tools from the shelf, setting the hard-drive's cover back on top, and screwing it in place.

“No...”

“Preventing the alarm system from locking us inside in the event of an emergency, perhaps?” Now he was just squinting at her, eyebrows thrown up in sarcasm.

“Then, could you take a two minute break to direct me to the nearest unoccupied Uni-Screen computer, please?” Matt sighed, but it came out as more of a groan as he rose from his knees.

“Gladly, your ladyship. Not like I have anything better to do...”

“It sure didn't seem like it...”

At that remark, he had to shoot her a glowering grin over his shoulder.

He lead her from the server farm and down the hall, past the security offices, the lunch room, and the water closet, finally ending up in a little, broom-closet office that was littered with tools and forgotten paperwork.

It certainly looked like enough of a rat's nest to be his.

“Thank you, Matt!” Rey said, as her eye caught on the Uni-Screen's glow on the desk top, Matt's head already turning the corner to go back to the server room.

“Sure, no problem. Just, you know, don't set fire to anything.” He whipped back inside. “And don't even _look_ at my hoagie the wrong way – that's my dinner and I expect it to be complete and in _pristine_ condition when my stomach demands I have it!”

Rey gently set aside the delicately wrapped sandwich, putting it as far away from the keyboard it had been resting on as she could manage.

“You needn't fear, Matt. I wouldn't dream of eating the sandwich Daisy had made just for you.”

He clammed up immediately, face flushing bright red and reminding her astonishingly of Kylo from earlier that day when she'd fallen on top of him.

“ _Watch it_ , my lady,” he warned, but his words carried no threat as he was still as red as tomato, and quick to scamper away from her. Still, she bit back her giggle, and, rising to delicately shut the office's glazed-glass door, Rey returned to the blue-lit, stiff office chair, settling herself in it slowly and deliberately.

With her heart pounding against her rib cage, she stuck the data stick into a port at the back of the Screen and opened the folder that popped up to greet her, once the system acknowledged the presence of a new drive.

There were only a few files to be found.

HF00050634921 REP, Official_Papers.png, Original_Text.doc, and READLAST.txt.

Furrowing her brow at the title of the last file, Rey clicked open the fist. Her eyes went wide at the official form that popped open, the word **[REDACTED]** in block letters, spilling diagonally across the page, but hardly preventing the words underneath from being read.

So many little boxes.

The underlined heading HELLFIRE RECONNAISSANCE REPORT explained why the form's serial number began with the letters HF. The date matched the night of her parent's disappearance. The officer presiding over the mission, and the soldiers under his command were meaningless surnames, followed by equally meaningless initials.

But one name stood out to her, starkly.

_**ATTACK ORDERED BY: the Emperor** _

Her gaze drifted lower, her eyes only growing wider.

_**BY WARRANT OF CRIMES: treason** _

_**TARGET(S): Luna and Jarvis [REDACTED]** _

Rey felt as if her blood had frozen over in her veins.

Her eyes scanned the paper frantically, searching for the complete story. She found it towards the bottom, hand-written into the large, empty rectangle.

_**LEAD OFFICER REPORT:** _ _Missile eliminated target's residence, no evidence of fatality from orbit. Reconnaissance squadron launched. Targets apprehended 30 minutes after planet-fall, escape attempt foiled. Targets questioned, and eliminated by firing squad._

The sound of her tears _plopping_ onto the keyboard alerted Rey to the fact that she was crying at all. She swiped them away, closing the document and tearing into the next. She didn't want to dwell on the horrific way her parents had died, shot in the streets of her home town after brutal torture that had squeezed any and all information out of them in their last minutes of life.

She'd suspected their death for years, and dwelling on the injustice of it all wouldn't change anything. Now she was just desperate to know _why._

Official_Papers.png turned out to be another scan of a physical document, but unlike the last, there was no militaristic boxes in perfectly straight lines to be found here. There was instead an elegant letterhead and faded peach border with golden curlicue designs. _Adoption Form_ , it read.

Rey was bewildered.

What was this doing here, alongside the file that declared the reason why her childhood home had been decimated by a Hellfire missile?

_Adoptive Party: Jarvis and Luna Somnus_ was written, just above, _Adoptee: Rey_

Her heart dropped into her stomach and she couldn't breathe.

Couldn't comprehend the words right in front of her.

But there it was, in plain universal.

She was a foundling, no different than her brother.

There wasn't a drop of shared blood between her and her parents. She didn't share in a proud Duster lineage as she thought she did, all her life.

She was no one.

Her seventh-month, sixth-day birthday was an estimation. Her age was approximate. She'd been found under a dead pear tree outside of a Celeste temple in Niima – abandoned and unwanted.

There was no mention of her birth parents. None.

The only other name on the adoption paper was of the priestess who'd overseen her adoption, and even that was hard to make out through her tears as she sobbed.

Even as she dreaded what she would find in the next document, still she pressed on.

It was a scan of a page torn from a Celeste Somni text, the creamy-coloring and rich red, blue, and gold paints illuminating the verse seemed darkened and aged through the computer screen.

It was a prophecy, written entirely in Spark-Speak.

_And she will be a soul the Ethereum will make,_

_Carried by maiden Somni, living life of humble faith,_

_A child fatherless, from conception's take_

_Found beneath the lightning-struck tree,_

_Under which born, she shall be._

_Its dead branches shall bear fruit once again,_

_Nurtured by mother's flesh and bone, become laden_

_Taken under safest, hidden care of Duster's wed,_

_To her knowledge, by Mother and Father she'll be lead,_

_Housed in love and wrapped in scarves,_

_She will take to their path, with eyes filled with stars_

_But be not deceived by her humble exterior,_

_For within, a sleeping dragon reigns superior_

_Magicks long lost to the children of Somnus,_

_She will become the Daughter incarnate_

_For she is her heir, a warrior of light_

_Sent by the Ethereum to reclaim the night_

_Slay the head of raw darkness, of sole merciless breed,_

_He, who of peace and prosperity, cannot conceive._

_Yet, she'll not dismiss the shadows, or obliterate their truth_

_But bring the hated halves back together, under the same roof_

_And so she shall, by the Gods so ordained,_

_Reunite the sundered family as one and the same_

Rey's head was well and truly spinning now, her breath coming in anxious pants. It shouldn't be. It _couldn't_ be. She was just a Duster. An unusually powerful Duster, but just a Duster. That was the truth that she clung to, even as her existence unraveled at her feet.

Because the alternative truth to that was that her entire life was a lie.

It all fit.

She had no idea who her birth parents were, only that according to her papers, she'd been found under a pear tree. A _dead_ pear tree.

The adoption had been handled by a priestess.

She'd been raised by a married Duster couple, and had taken up their profession. And her new magicks...

If she was a Child of the Stars, as Kylo claimed, it would be all too easy to draw the connection...she very easily _could_ be related to the Daughter, and have no idea. Because her entire life, she'd thought her last name was _Somnus_ , and she was a _Duster_.

But was that even true? Or had it been another lie her parents had invented, because they'd gone into hiding, covered up their pasts for the sake of protecting _her?_ Only for them to be murdered in the street ten years later, because none of it had mattered. The Emperor had found them anyway, in his pursuit of her – the one real threat to his power, according to this very prophecy.

Who else could the line, “the head of raw darkness, of sole merciless breed,” be referring to otherwise?

She opened up the last document with her hands shaking, hyperventilating. It was a write-up from Kaydel, and it filled in the rest of the blanks.

Her parents had been spies for the Resistance during the Great War, valuable ones at that, with hefty prices on their heads. They had been part of the lynch-pin mission that had gotten the _Mors Sideris_ plans to Princess Leia.

It wasn't even certain what their birth names were anymore. They'd shed names and identities over their ten years of service as easily as a snake shed its skin. The number of fake papers seemed endless, and judging by the various ID photos Kaydel had compiled, they'd experienced their fair share of reconstructive surgery to hide their faces too.

At the end of the war, they'd gone to Jakku to disappear. They were happy, knowing the galaxy had been set aright, and the Empire would soon disappear completely.

It didn't.

That, and despite their many attempts, they soon learned they were incapable of having children.

Then Rey came into their life, presented by a devout branch of the Celeste order that no longer existed on Jakku, and both their hopes for a family and their desire to bring justice to the galaxy were simultaneously satisfied.

“I didn't know them,” Kaydel had written on the bottom of the document “Maybe no one did. But whatever love they showed you and your brother, Rey, I'm _certain_ that was real. All they had wanted was to start a life together now that there was peace, and its clear to me you brought them so much joy.”

A file photo of the three of them followed, smiling and happy, dressed in their Duster garb. Subtitled text explained it had been sent in a coded message to Leia herself, informing her on their lives beyond the war. The message itself, Kaydel hadn't been able to find – it had been deleted immediately after being received.

The brilliant blue of the corner of the Jakku sky behind them, the background snippets of yellow-gold sands, and the warmth of their tanned skin, had all been grayed by the digital scan of the photo.

But still, their smiles were glowing.

“I'm so sorry that the truth had to be this painful. That _this_ happened to you. I can think of no greater injustice in the universe. Please, fight against the despair that your fate has been set in stone, or else incorrectly determined by those who put stock in destiny. You are one of the kindest, strongest people I've ever met, Rey.

“Whatever the future has in store for you, know that there are people who care for you and believe in you, simply because of the wonderful person _you_ are. Your brother cares for you. The Tico sisters, Captain Phasma, Daisy, and I, care for you. Matt cares for you (even if he would never admit it). I firmly believe the decent chunk of his lordship's court will come to care for you as well.

And his lordship, certainly, deeply cares for you.”

She signed the document at the bottom like a letter.

“Wishing you all the best,

Kaydel.”

Rey yanked the data stick from its port, crawled under the desk, and cried.

She wasn't sure how long she laid there for, but, in any case, by the time she ran out of tears, she had left a soaking wet splotch on the carpet. Eventually, she decided, numbly, that she ought to leave.

Back in the hallway, it was dark outside the palace windows, but Matt still had not come for his sandwich dinner.

She wandered back to her suite in a bleary daze, grateful that she passed not one soul along the way. She locked her bedroom door behind her, yanked the roses from her locks, dropping them somewhere, and collapsed onto her duvet. BeeBee hopped onto her bed and sniffed her head with a worried whine, but Rey didn't budge.

She fully intended to lay on her stomach and never rising from her cloud-bed ever again.

~*~*~*~

Some time later, there was a knock at her door, and a soft feminine voice that Rey recognized with mild surprise as Paige's, invited her to join his lordship for dinner.

“Tell him to excuse me, Paige...” Rey muttered, loudly “I'm not hungry.”

It couldn't have been more than three minutes later that she heard his voice.

“My lady?” he asked, knocking more firmly than Paige had.

_Please, no..._ Rey thought, begging no one in particular. Perhaps she was imploring all the Gods of the Ethereum at once that he give up and go away.

“Please, leave me be...” she groaned, her words lacking any of her previous strength. She felt it acutely when his worry spiked silver and ice blue in the Ethereum.

“Lady Rey? What happened? What's wrong?” Rey rolled over, burying her face in her pillow, willing the world to disappear.

It did not.

“Rey, I know something's wrong, I can feel it in the Ethereum! Please let me in, darling, I just want to help you...”

_No._

The loud _thud_ against her door made her jump and sit up. His frustrated growl had her genuinely afraid for a moment that he would break down the door to reach her. But then, the shadows in the corner of her room coalesced more darkly, and she understood he wouldn't be using the door. She dove under the covers, hiding herself.

But for all the magick Kylo had taught her, he hadn't given her any instruction on how to turn invisible.

“Rey...” he murmured, the sound directly above her. She merely hugged her knees to her chest more tightly.

The mattress sagged under his weight as he sat down beside her.

“Sweetheart...if it's too painful to speak of, use our bond to help me understand...” he whispered, his hand finding her shoulder, even in her blanket cocoon. “Please, my darling...let me ease your sorrows...”

Against all odds, all the confusion and grief clouding her perceptions, she knew who she was.

She was a Duster from Jakku.

She had a little brother whom she loved.

She believed in the power of dreams and the strength of kindness.

She'd taken on a Gaia's magicks, that had been hidden inside her, all along.

She was fiancé to the Emperor's Hand.

That didn't change, these truths stayed solid. But certainty in her identity was a fragile, flimsy thing amidst the turmoil of her past and the uncertain maelstrom of her future.

She failed to choke back a sob as despair consumed her.

His genuine sympathy for her was making her crack open all over again.

“ _Rey..._ ” he breathed, heartbroken. When he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and drew her up, she didn't resist. He pressed to her to his chest and gently brushed back her mussed hair from her face, expression crumpling in sympathy at the sight of her wounded, red eyes.

She tried to take a deep breath, but the sound devolved into a shudder.

“My sweetheart...” he said, tears gathering in his eyes. Rey lacked the words to explain all that she'd learned. She didn't even have the strength to speak. So, instead, she took his face in her hands, plunged into the Ethereum, and made the connection between them, pouring the truth about her genes, her history, the prophecy, and her emotional turmoil all into his head.

When her aching eyes fluttered open again, his cheeks were tear-stained. He pulled her to him and held her so tight she was sure her shoulders would bruise and her bones would twinge for days after, but she didn't care. She was shaking with her dry sobs, and his firm grip was her anchor to reality, the thing that was keeping her from losing her mind, and was precious to her beyond measure.

She burrowed into his chest like she intended on making it her home, and let herself be held, and coddled, and rocked, as Ben cooed reassurances in her ear, soft “It'll be alright's” and “I love you's,” that found their way to her heart and softened the sharp ache of her sadness. For all that he said, not once did he ask her to stop crying. He let her sob her fill, until any lingering sorrow had been drained out of her soul, empty darkness left in its wake.

He parted from her only briefly to bring her a glass of water, certain she was starting to become dehydrated.

She had to agree that there was very little moisture left in her clicking throat.

Rey found her words as she drank deeply.

“...The last thing I wanted was to be part of some grand prophecy, tossing me about like a marionette at the universe's disposal...” she spat, her voice hoarse and grating. She drank more, draining the glass.

“No one asks to have their lives dictated by the Gods...believe you, me, Rey, I know...” Kylo murmured, tenderly caressing her arm as they sat across from each other.

She supposed it was already too late. True or untrue, the universe had dealt its hand. Because of the prophecy, her guardians had died for her.

Rey's laugh came out as a broken sob, as guilt overwhelmed her.

“ _Gods, they're dead because of me-!_ ”

“No, they are not,” he said, firmly, staring into her eyes, his hand cupping her chin. “You are not responsible for their death. They knew the dangers when they took you in and they accepted them anyway.” Kylo shook his head, eyes hard. “If you're going to blame anyone for their deaths, blame my sire.”

Rey's eyes shot wide open.

“-And his obsession with prophecy, and staying in power,” Kylo scoffed. He glanced her way and seemed to read her mind as he accepted the empty glass from her and set it on her bed-side table. “I hold no illusions about the kind of Mystic the Emperor is, Rey. I know he has done horrific, cruel things.”

“Then...how can you still respect him so?” Kylo's angry brow fell, eyes glancing about, bewildered.

“It's simply what I've always done.”

He looked a decade younger, and so hopelessly lost in that moment, that Rey decided now was not the time for further questions about Snoke.

“Can you still marry me, knowing what that prophecy says about me? According to it, destiny has pitted us on opposite sides of the war...” Kylo clicked his tongue, as if she'd asked a frivolous question about place settings for a court dinner, not a life-or-death matter about their disturbingly entwined destinies.

She, the would-be murderer of his sire, fated to save the galaxy.

He, the dark successor to the Emperor, who would gain new magicks from their union.

Not only were their fates linked, but opposing, contradictory. Either she'd slay his master, and lose him, or stay by his side, and risk losing herself. Rey's maw of despair only yawned wider beneath her, threatening to swallow her up.

It was the farthest thing from what she wanted.

She'd just wanted someone to spend her life with. Not this.

“To Hell with both of our prophecies, Rey.” Her eyebrows shot up, and his gaze darkened. “Yes, I'm serious – _fuck_ them. Fuck any destiny outside of that which we _choose_.”

Her smile was a beautiful, tragic thing.

His words were grace made real in this moment of darkness. Because he spoke with such vehemence that she believed again, if only for a moment, that she had a choice.

She didn't have the words for how grateful she felt, for how much of gentle balm they were to her wounds.

“I love you. Being with you is what I choose,” he murmured, forehead coming to rest against hers, gaze filled with his love.

She kissed him instead of speaking, and held onto him like he was the only solid, real thing left in the world. And for the moment, it felt like he was.

“A Nightmare and a Somni against the world, defying the stars...” she whispered against his collarbone, unsure if she was laughing or still crying.

His searing kiss against her lips felt like a solemn vow, and she returned it in kind.

Exhaustion brought her down to the mattress and he followed. They rested side by side on her bed, impressing their earnest, loving promises on one another, until sleep made them still, and brought Rey the complete peace she sought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated. :) <3


	27. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovering from a complete upset of her personal history takes Rey some time. Fortunately, Kylo is there to help with any and all of the grieving and comforting process.
> 
> They spend the afternoon on a date in the Palace gardens.

For one blissful moment when Rey awoke to Mustafar's sun streaming its sweet, dependable light through her suite's windows, she couldn't recall why Kylo had joined her in bed and still had her pressed against his chest, hands exerting a gentle pressure on her stomach.

Then, the dark memories came flooding back to her and her peaceful reality crumbled again.

She could feel her throat tightening anew, but she stubbornly resisted the flood of tears, turning her head so her cheek was nuzzled against her fiancé's chest, and her left ear echoed with the sound of his slow, steady heartbeat. She focused on that solitary sound and the movement of her breath for several minutes, and the heartrending pain gradually dulled to a distant ache.

The pain of guilt was still there. The resistance and dread towards her prophecy was there too. For the guilt, she repeated Kylo's words to her, over and over again in her head until she felt there was truth to them.

_You are not responsible for their death. They knew the dangers when they took you in and they accepted them, anyway. You are not responsible for their death. They knew the dangers when they took you in and they accepted them, anyway._

It didn't work miracles, but it definitely helped. As for her fear, she acknowledged its existence, accepted it, and shoved it aside. It wasn't going to control her actions. She had spent enough of her life letting her stubborn will keep her on Jakku. She wasn't about to let this chain her too.

She was going to make the choices that felt morally right to her, and that brought her happiness – prophesied consequences she couldn't foresee or control be damned.

And Kylo, against all odds, made her happy.

He stirred beneath her, a shuddering mountain, and brief smile flitted across her mouth before she gripped his bicep tighter.

He grunted, moaning in surprise. His hands searched her, tracing her back, her waist, fingers combing through her hair, confusion permeating through the Ethereum, as if he was trying to identify who this lovely woman was, and why she was laying in his arms.

She cuddled against his chest, shyly, leaning into his warm heart. Neither of them was still used to sleeping in the same bed together, and this endearing closeness.

She lifted her chin to meet his eyes the same moment his flaming eyes fluttered open, and his deep, umbra skin lightened back to its natural, peach hue.

The tiny grin he gifted her was effortlessly sweet.

“Hello...” he said, sounding as if he'd had his breath knocked out of him, hand drifting up to caress her cheek as she lay on his chest, chin propped on her crossed arms.

“Hi...” she echoed. The look of adoration, molten and gentle in his caramel-brown eyes, could draw a grin from her most days. Even with the heaviness in her heart, she still smiled today.

His memories of the previous night came back to him in a moment too, his smile falling into an expression of sympathy and concern.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. Somehow,” she murmured, leaning in for an affectionate nuzzle, a slight brush of noses. He hummed, happily.

“Good. I'm glad...” he licked his lips in thought, searching for the right words. “I'd like to spend the day with you, as much as my schedule allows, part-taking in things that you like, in the hope that they bring you a bit of happiness...”

She smiled. This fine man couldn't possibly be real.

“I'd like that very much,” she whispered, kissing him softly. She tried to part from him quickly, a sweet, little peck being her aim, but his hand darted out to her to hold her chin in place for a beat longer, warming the kiss. She realized with a start he was savoring her and she shivered.

“Okay, then. Then that's what we'll do,” he said, rubbing her arms mistakenly. Far from massaging warmth back into her body, she just broke out in more delighted shudders. Furrowing his brow in confusion, he sat up, pulling her with him, and drawing her into his lap, holding her against him so his body heat could seep into her. His arms were so strong and sturdy, and she felt so safe...

Rey was flushed, bobbing along in an ocean of bliss, and she almost felt guilty for it.

“But...don't hesitate to share with me how you are feeling about all that has occurred, at any given moment that it crosses your mind. Even if a particular spike of sadness or sorrow seems odd or inexplicable, I want you tell me about it. Okay?” Her heart swelled with affection, and she squeezed his shoulders tight.

“Okay...”

He kissed the top of her head and she swooned, collapsing against his shoulder with a whine.

“Oh-ho!” he chuckled, the jovial shuddering in his chest making her vibrate too “I'm being too sweet to you this morning, is that it?” She bit back a flustered grin.

“Maybe just a little...” The daemon had the nerve to _snicker_.

“Whatever happened to 'brave Rey' from yesterday?” he whispered, playfully. She moaned.

“'Brave Rey' was the result of a good night's sleep, and learning a bit more how to ride the waves of romantic desire instead of being drowned by them...oh, and a very encouraging tussie-mussie...”

Kylo snorted with laughter, nearly choking on his zeal, Rey sitting up in surprise.

“A _what?!_ ”

“The flower favor! Stars, they didn't call them that back on Chandrila?!”

“NO!”

She pushed back from his embrace, as he broke out in peals of laughter over the term he thought ridiculous. He fell back against the pillows.

“Who – the _hell_ – came up with that?!” he said, still gasping from laughter.

“Children!! Who – give sweet little bouquets to their first crushes, and chase them around the neighborhood for being so sentimental and cheesy – hence the exaggerated pet-name of tussie-mussie!!” Rey exclaimed.

“ _Oooooooh_ – it's what other kids call it to poke fun at the recipient!!”

“ _YES!!_ ”

He fell back into laughter, chortling, but this time, she chuckled with him. When the shuddering of their diaphragms eventually settled, she couldn't stand to meet his gaze, still feeling shy.

“Stars – why are you looking at me like that?” He grinned, his gaze becoming even more honeyed and endearing, if such a thing were possible.

“I'm just glad to see you smile and hear you laugh...”

Her smile stretched.

“Trust me, I'm glad that for that too. I didn't think I'd be able to find a bit of happiness so soon...” Her expression fell as the guilt rose up from within her again.

“Don't,” he cupped her face between his hands, looking deep into her eyes. “Don't blame yourself, Rey. It's in the past. There's nothing that can be done for your parents now – but don't put their choices on your shoulders...”

She nodded numbly, trying to fervently internalize his words, even as her despair-torn heart attempted to reject them.

“It was an act of generosity to take me in. They knew it could be dangerous, but they chose to love me anyway...” she muttered, trying to steady herself, voice thickening again.

He kissed her forehead, brushing her cheeks with his thumbs.

“Exactly, my darling...”

She focused on her breathing for a few minutes, slipping into a near meditative state, letting Ben's presence wash over her and enfold her in comfort and peace.

She opened her eyes when she felt the threat of tears had subsided, and she'd calmed again.

“Now, what would give you the most joy to do first, today, my darling?” he said, sitting up and kissing the back of each of her hands in turn, making her face flame in the process.

“Take a walk through the gardens?”

“Done. Meet me downstairs after breakfast.”

Rey swept through her suite, changing and readying for the day, yelling a thank-you to Paige when she stopped by with her breakfast cart, starry-night arm waving in acknowledgment behind her as she swept back out just as quickly, crystalline wings winking in the daylight.

When Rey stepped out of her suite, full, and dressed in a stylish, navy jumpsuit and chic suede boots, it was to the sight of a palm-sized glass vase of white flowers, filled about halfway with water.

She shed a tender smile, gathered up the vase and brought it into her suite. She searched for yesterday's roses, hoping to resuscitate them, but they were nowhere to be found.

Oh well. In all likelihood, BeeBee had eaten them, but he'd be fine.

He'd once rooted through their garbage bin, back home on Jakku, devouring the remnants of a spoiled chicken. He'd yakked it right back up, and proceeded to race around the apartment at high-speed, panting and yapping for more food.

Rey flipped through her _Flower Language_ book eagerly, as she called BeeBee over and leashed him. He could use the fresh air too.

“Azalea...'take care of yourself for me,' very practical advice...” Rey murmured, noting the white, six-petaled bloom in the center of the arrangement, brushing the delicate petals with her fingertips. “White heather...” she mused, flipping forward to find the matching illustration of the sprig of bell-shaped flowers “...'Protection, Wishes will come true'...”

Something in her belly twinged with giddy joy.

“Oh Kylo, you're too sweet, I know you'll protect me...and...white hyacinth, I think? 'Loveliness, I'll p-”

She was speechless.

Is this what it could really feel like? Being loved so selflessly and ardently? It was better than all her fantasies combined. Her heart felt so wonderfully warm and full.

_I'll pray for you_ , his tussie-mussie said.

Stars above, she adored him...

Before she went outside, Rey looked up flowers for expressing gratitude and thankfulness. Stopping at the nearest planter, she worked her magick with boundless love and winsome generosity, untethered from her timidity.

His back was to her, waiting for her at the bottom of the palace steps in his handsome boots, flattering dark breeches and a modest, light-weight, gray tunic.

She released BeeBee and let him run about to his heart's content. He wasn't likely to get in too much trouble in a fenced-in yard, with hardly a flower to dig up.

And Kylo certainly didn't make a move to restrain the creature, or ask her to get him back. He just chuckled at her fox' glee and watched as he surprised the guards and sprinted around.

As such, when she reached him and he turned around to greet her, his jaw dropped open at the sight of the dozen, dark pink roses in full bloom – wrapped in the white paper Ahsoka had left for her, in addition to a dozen paper doilies for arranging, beside the _Language of Flowers_ book – that she presented to him.

"Sweetheart-”

“Please, just take them. They say exactly what I feel, maybe better than I can truly express with words...”

“It's not that. Rey – this is just too much!” he exclaimed, eyes wide with awe and glimmering with fondness. She gave him a one-shouldered shrug.

“Take them anyway.”

He accepted them, lashes dipping to sweep his cheekbones beautifully as he inhaled their sweet scent. His smile was crooked when he came up for air.

“Still...you shouldn't have to thank me for this. You make it seem as if this is some...favor, or a gift. The reality couldn't be further from that. As if I'd do anything else other than support you and take care of you...”

She wasn't sure whether it was sadness or delight, or a combination of both, but her chest squeezed with it and her stomach flipped.

“Kylo-” she gasped, and threw herself into his arms, kissing him deeply, pouring her relief and gratitude and love into every caress of his lips. He dropped the roses, seizing her as full as he could, tugging her against him. He couldn't get enough of her. His mind was swirling with any number of desires, but he put them aside for the moment to simply treasure her kiss and reassure her of his love. Every kiss feeling like a chanted _I'm here, I'm here, I'm here_ against Rey's lips.

One final, longing, wet _pop_ , and they parted, breathing hard, blinking and flushed in the morning light. Kylo chuckled at his distraction and abandon, bending to pick up the forgotten roses. They couldn't seem to tear their gaze from each other, drinking in the sight of their mirrored, adoring smiles.

At least, until a deep voice cleared his throat from behind them, and they realized someone had been watching them the whole time.

~*~*~*~

“You're aware, your lordship, that most courtship outings are to be chaperoned – especially walks about the garden?” asked Earl Tyranus, looking at them imperiously, judging them for behaving like two young adults in love, which, mind, was exactly what they were.

“I thought the Marquess, Marchioness, and yourself, were merely here to _supervise_...” seethed Kylo, through gritted teeth, throwing up his helmet in a rush of smoke and fire that danced about his shoulders, producing a short cloak from his cloud of ashes to complement it and make his appearance seem a bit more put-together (though it didn't really matter at this point, Tyranus had already seen him without the mask).

Upon further scrutiny, he also decided to tug a dark vest into existence, and Rey had to admit, the lines of it did wonders to emphasize his handsome, filled-out chest.

“ _And_ report back to the Emperor. Not every day, but still, _regularly_ and _thoroughly_.” Tyranus glowered.

“Odd. I was of the understanding that you thought chaperoning such an _archaic_ tradition was _insulting_ to the courting couple! What?! Is my sire concerned about my fiancé's maidenhood now after all?! Does he think I'm going to take her in the bushes – _which we don't have in the Pumice's gardens?!_ ” Kylo snapped bluntly, sweeping up to his uncle, getting right in the man's face.

“Your sire neglected to mention any such standards or concerns,” he sneered, leaning back from her fiancé's confrontational stance.

“However, I still am bound by my oath, nephew. So, sincerest apologies, your lordship, perhaps you should behave as if I'm _not here_ ,” he growled, clearly bringing the conversation to an end and leaving no room for argument. Kylo snarled, but still he returned to Rey's side and offered her his arm nevertheless.

Rey took it, and they began their stilted walk around the shady, palace paths, circling the tiny trees, immaculate rock arrangements, and generally wandering the grounds, making as little eye contact with the few stationed guards as possible. Earl Tyranus followed, of course, but at a very respectable distance. At times, they turned corners in the path and lost sight of him altogether. He always reappeared, but he was far enough to be out of earshot and allow for private conversation if they were quiet.

“I'm so _sorry_ about this, my lady. It appears most of our opportunities to be alone will now be at night, or else if the other three are too busy to chaperone...”

Rey rolled her eyes in frustration.

“It's not as if you could have done anything about it, dearest. Yes, it's an annoyance, but really, it's fine...” She simpered, a joke coming to mind.

“If my brother were still visiting, you had best believe he would've have been far more intrusive of a third wheel.” Kylo barked with a laugh.

“I believe you, my lady! Finn looks as if he'd snap my neck if I so much as looked at you the wrong way.” Rey laughed, light and airy, and the mood around their walk lightened considerably. They enjoyed following the snaking paths, passing over rocky streams on stepping stones, and under artfully bent bows that formed a tree-tunnel, finding all the garden's little, secret nooks and crannies, with their aged bird-baths and forgotten effigies of the Gods. They even found where BeeBee had decided to dig himself a new den, under a secluded cluster of medium-sized boulders near the South wall.

“It's pretty well hidden,” Kylo noted, with mild curiosity “I doubt the groundskeepers will take issue with it, provided they notice it at all.”

BeeBee whined and purred with pride at having dug a hole again, as Rey laughed at her fiancé's usual indifference towards her trouble-making fox.

The pair didn't say too much as they walked, but they grasped each other's hands and felt the tender warmth of each other's company, and that was a lovely experience too.

They settled themselves on the waving grass, beneath a particularly broad, branching oak with fantastically curved roots and deep, deep green leaves for a brief respite. Kylo decided to drop his helmet in the shade and relative seclusion, looking much more relaxed now, his rose bouquet resting against his thigh.

“The only shame is that there's so little color in it all...” Rey said, a bit sadly, looking around the garden.

“Not for much longer. The leaves on the maple trees turn a brilliant, fiery orange in the fall,” he said, eyes glinting hopefully.

“Oh, that must be gorgeous! I can't wait to see it...”

While Rey's attention was stolen by the sun-dappled leaves above and drinking in the brilliant green, he has eyes only for her, elbow propped against the tree trunk.

“Still, I think with a bit of encouragement and the right watering schedule, a flowering garden _could_ grow here. It's volcanic soil – there's none that's more fertile.”

Kylo shook his head.

“Emperor's Hands have tried for generations, my lady. No ordinary means could make a flower bloom in this garden...” But his words gave him a fiendishly clever idea for the future, and set him smiling again at his darling fiancé.

She had to chuckle at the dreamy look he was giving her when she caught sight of him again.

“Kylo – you're staring at me again!” His smile only grew.

“So?”

She growled, feigning annoyance, and leaned back against him, settling in the curve of his arm, head against his shoulder. His heart swooned at the sight of her enchanted smile and he pulled her in for kiss that lingered and stretched and lasted, warming them until they could tolerate their delirious affection no further and had to come up for air.

“My wonderful Rey...” Kylo purred, and Rey leaned back in for more, liquid and wanting. Gods, she was yearning for him, despite the fact that he was right in front of her.

She nipped at his bottom lip, and passion coiled his stomach so desirously, he had to pull away. She knew not the delicious particulars of what she did to him, and he wasn't quite sure if she was ready to hear of it yet.

Instead, he expressed his affection in another way, removing the small, flat gift box he'd hidden in his pant's pocket.

“What is this?” Rey exclaimed, eyes lighting up with curiosity as she happily accepted the square box.

“It is customary in Nightmare courtships for the gentleman to shower his lady with gifts.” Rey smiled and simpered with shyness.

“Kylo, you don't have to. The palace, the food, the gowns, the jewels, you've already-”

“I know, I know, I've already given you so much. But, when the opportunity and inspiration arises, I still want to dote on you a little bit, my lady...” he said, eyes glowing with devotion.

She was going to melt into an outrageous, blushing mess and seep right into the ground.

Still, she let the infatuated feelings roll over her and popped open the box' lid. She had been right to anticipate jewelry, but what she found within was a lot less flowery and a lot more meaningful than she had anticipated. It was something she grown accustomed to seeing most of her life on the arms of betrothed women back on Jakku, and she'd so been looking forward to wearing her own someday. After making her deal with Kylo, it seemed it would likely be a Somni tradition she would have to forego, now that she was marrying a Nightmare, and yet here was the article in question, right in front of her...

“An engagement armband...” she murmured, touched, pulling the golden-sienna circlet from the box' blue velvet lining and holding up to the light, reading the Spark-Speak engravings that formed looping, elegant patterns from words of love and phrases of commitment.

“I know the designs vary among the differing Somni sects, but I tried to get it as close to a Celeste Somni one as the smiths could muster,” he explained warmly, fueled by her surprise and delight. She was quick to roll up her sleeves to the shoulder from their three-quarter length, and tugged the band onto her arm, affixing it in its rightful spot on her dominant arm, opposite his engagement ring.

It gleamed like molten, fiery gold in the sunlight, and it must have been a carefully gilded piece, light as it was, its color was consistent and flawless.

“Kylo...this is so thoughtful of you...” she stuttered, positively enamored.

“Well, jewelry is very customary, but...I figured there was very little you might have wanted that you didn't already have, so...I turned to your brother for advice and he set me on the right course,” he explained, hand brushing compulsively through his hair as he blushed, furiously.

She raised her eyebrows in jest.

“Oh – so you're having secret communications with my brother, now are you?!”

“NO-!”

“Should I be concerned, my lordship? Are questioning him for information, plumbing his depths to learn all of my secrets?!”

He was laughing, full-bellied and warm and loud and it sent her pulse skipping.

“Not hardly, my dear! You needn't fear such espionage from me!”

“Good...” she leaned forward and molded their lips together so sweetly that Kylo fell against her, clutching her ardently. “Thank you, my love. It's a wonderful gift.”

“You're welcome, my darling,” he breathed, falling back into a pleasant, passionate rhythm of kisses for a while, to the point that their lips were starting to bruise and they'd lost track of time when they drew apart.

She leaned back against him and stretched languidly underneath the warm dappled sunlight and Kylo found it suddenly difficult for him to breathe. The moment passed and Rey settled against him again, pursing her lips in thought, as she observed the ever-present, thick cumulonimbus clouds of Mustafar's atmosphere.

“What are you thinking of, dearest?” he murmured by her ear, making her flush beautifully with delight as he lovingly stroked the arm that bore the engagement band.

She grimaced.

“Possible topics of conversation – difficult, considering I simultaneously feel I already I know too much, and yet, too little about your childhood and past.”

“Ah – I see...” he chuckled, sympathetic.

BeeBee running past and rolling around in the circle of grass the oak was planted in made them both chuckle, and gave her an idea.

“Did you have any childhood pets?”

“No, no need for that. I had Chewbacca.”

“Kylo!” Rey slapped his shoulder in play and he guffawed. “Don't talk about your uncle that way!”

“But it's true! He was part of the family, and the family pet, all wrapped up in one!”

“Ugh! You're ridiculous!!”

He pressed a smacking, wet kiss to her cheek and she shoved him away, smiling.

“Favorite school subject, then?”

“Mmmmm, I was never very fond of the stern regulations of school. It felt too...restrictive and limiting.” She smirked in victory.

“Oh yes, naturally, given how attracted you were to mischief and getting into trouble...” He rolled his eyes, _massively_ , and Rey couldn't restrain the shuddering of her belly.

“Sweetheart – you wound me with your judgment!” he said, feigning insult. It took quite a few playful kisses for her giggling to finally cease.

Kylo sighed, his eyes turning soft once more.

“For arguments sake, I suppose...Writing and Languages? I never minded analyzing or interpreting the writings of others...though, I could easily lose a day's worth of time writing my own works...”

“Fiction, or non-fiction? Or something more artistic, perhaps? Like poetry?” she smiled, the thought of an artful, creative Ben Solo warming her heart.

“Bit of everything,” he grinned, proudly. “And let me take a stab at your interests – you adored History.” Rey groaned, petulantly.

“Thirteen Hells-”

“ _Correct me_ , if I'm wrong, my lady...” She pouted.

“No. You're not.” He grinned, impishly.

She yanked herself from his embrace.

“Oh! Sue me for loving a good story – especially one that can be learned from and has truth to it!!” He was practically _cackling_ , and he'd seized her about the waist.

“Would you _let. me. go?!_ ” she exclaimed.

“My darling, you misinterpret my meaning!!” he retorted, gently taking her chin in hand and turning her head back to face him to get her attention. “I'm not mocking your interests, not hardly. I admire your constancy...” His expression fell a bit, but he pressed on.

“It seems to me that from a young age, you always knew exactly who you were, were always so sure of yourself...You're confidence, to me, is one of your greatest strengths, it burgeons your tenacious spirit so well...” His gaze darkened, his presence clearly wrestling with his thoughts in the Ethereum, but still, he managed to loosen his tongue and speak honestly.

“You're certainty in who you are – I find it so breathtakingly beautiful...”

Rey couldn't recall when in her life she'd been rendered breathless by a compliment, but she supposed there was a first time for everything.

She managed to find her words in her blushing, senseless state, somehow.

“W-well...that only makes sense I suppose, given how you're still...” He caught her meaning as she was breathlessly searching for a sentence.

“Lost?” he deadpanned.

“Working to figure out who you are. And there's nothing in the universe wrong with that, Ben...” He averted his gaze, but at least, this time his expression lacked the usual shame.

“I may not act like it, but I changed and grew a lot over the years. For instance, I used to be terribly guarded, and not speak about my feelings to anyone.”

Kylo threw up his eyebrows in surprise.

“I felt as the older sister, I had to be more responsible one. More balanced. As such, I stayed quiet about my troubles, didn't tell my parents...” she trailed off, hesitating to call Jarvis and Luna by that title. But, they had raised her as her parents, blood not-withstanding.

They had been the only family she'd ever known, more so than who ever her missing biological parents were. If they felt like family, she should refer to them as such.

She pressed on.

“Then, one day, I came home from school covered in bruises, courtesy of the imp who bullied me, and I came to unlearn that silence. I could look back on my past choices and regret them because I wouldn't make the same decisions now. But, instead, I try to focus on that they signify a positive change in myself – that I've grown beyond who I used to be,” she offered, uncertain if she was saying the right thing, but trying anyway, grasping his hands in hers with a gentle, comforting pressure.

He reflected on this and met her eyes, a bit sadly.

“I never really looked at my choices that way...” She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his forehead.

“That's because you're very, very hard on yourself.” He grimaced.

“Likely comes from my military training. Strict discipline is demanded from everyone in the Imperial navy.”

“Maybe so, but it isn't asked of you anymore. It's one thing to hold yourself to a higher standard, dearest, but that standard should also be realistic and attainable. Otherwise, you're going to waste a lot of time making yourself miserable.”

He smiled at her like she'd just revealed the secrets of the universe to him.

“Where do you get your wisdom from, my lady?” She smirked conspiratorially.

“Believe it or not, Poe wasn't always as fun-loving and care-free as he is today. He had his fair share of lessons to learn over the course of knowing my brother, too.” Kylo threw up his hands at the mention of 'Poe' and 'brother.'

“Okay – I don't even remotely want to know!”

She descended into peals of gorgeous, ringing laughter. He held her close, cradled in his lap, and as she laid down to rest on his chest again, he felt as if he'd experienced a taste of the Ninth Heaven. She mused, playing with the piping on his handsome vest, tracing it with idle fingers and making his skin tingle with tiny shivers.

“I know well enough why you joined the Imperial army. I do still wonder what drove you to train for the Boreal Guard, though.” Kylo sputtered his lips, turning his eyes skyward to observe the sun-dappled leaves, same as she.

“It wasn't so much an ambition as it was a matter of consequence. Mystics with great powers tend to either become Grand Healers or Boreal Guards. My mother was a ranking shield-maiden, and my uncle had trained for the Guard, but had changed paths and gone along the Healer path after his legendary encounter with my grandfather.” Rey smiled and interrupted.

“Sounds like your uncle wasn't too sure of his choices either.”

Kylo's throat locked up as this truth washed over him. He sighed, leaning back against the tree with a pained look on his face.

Rey panicked.

“I'm sorry, Kylo!! Forget I said-”

“It's not your fault, my darling. I just...damn I _wish_ I'd realized that for myself sooner...maybe then I could've called my family's bluff...”

Rey vividly recalled how trapped he'd felt as an adolescent, how set on a destined path picked out for him, and her heart bled in empathy.

How fitting that the two of them had found each other, seemingly almost by mistake – or else, by the mandate of destiny too...

“I'm sorry. Please, go on,” she murmured, stretching up to give him a little peck of encouragement. The tender gesture made his pulse flutter, in spite of any logic, and the fact that he was growing quite used to her kisses. Regardless, he picked back up his train of thought.

“Given how I thought I lacked the talents needed for healing, but I still had to be-” he snarled, recalling his past, hatefully “ _shipped off_ somewhere to have my powers _dealt_ with quietly, I went to my uncle, Luke.” Rey's eyebrows shot up at the mention of the famous name, but she calmed and didn't interrupt.

“He'd gone through enough of the program and its tenets that he had the authority to train me for the Guard, and all told...” His eyebrows turned-up, in a sad sort of expression “That wouldn't have been a path I would've disliked. I always had the skills for fighting, a desire to defend and assist others who lacked the ability themselves...”

He sighed, gazing melancholically at the sky, looking to her as if the Gods had wronged him.

“Strange as it seems, there was a time when I wanted to protect others, perhaps do something vaguely heroic...” Rey nodded in understanding, brushing back his hair and stroking his ear sweetly.

“And now?”

He sighed.

“Now, after all my time spent serving and not living...now I'm tired, and just want to rest...” he said, brow furrowed mournfully, looking far older than he actually was. Rey rested her head against his chest, cuddling against him and holding him close. Even if they were both miserable, at least this way they could be miserable together.

He nuzzled the top of her head and raced through the words of a hasty, half-remembered Nightmare prayer in his mind, thanking the Gods for this wonderful girl.

“I'm here for you too, my dear,” she whispered, and he kissed her ardently.

_Thank you. Thank you so much, my love._

A low voice loudly cleared his throat and Kylo was ripped from his bittersweet reality, limited to the circle of Rey's embrace.

“A message from your council, my lord, you have a meeting to attend to?” said Earl Tyranus, holding out a communication tablet to him. Kylo growled lethargically and stood, tucking his roses under his arm, forming his helmet again and accepting the Uni-Screen, tapping away at the notification at the forefront of of it.

“Damn it, meeting's been moved up,” he muttered. Rey stood.

“It's fine, Kylo. I know you have your work-” He whirled around and grasped her hands, bowing low to her.

“I promise I'll make it back in time for dinner. In the mean-time, I've arranged for you to continue your self-defense training with Phasma.”

“Thank you-”

He stood, drawing her into his embrace.

“Thank _you_ , my love.” He made clear across the bond that he would've gifted her one final kiss if it weren't for the audience of Tyranus, and his helmet being in the way, and then hurried off with the Earl on his heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This year I am thankful for each and every one of my readers. <3 <3 <3
> 
> It was a childhood dream of mine to share my writing with others. The fact that now I can, that I'm brave enough to do it, and that you all love it too, is simply amazing. :,) <3


	28. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talk during Kylo and Rey's dinner date turns towards wedding planning - with both positive and negative results.
> 
> After, the pair spends some time star-gazing on the roof, and grow a little bit closer.

Training with Phasma turned out be a riotously good time, if exhausting, given how hard the Dragoon pushed her (as was to be expected). Rey breezed through lessons four and five – using the environment to your advantage, and not disclosing all your abilities in order to take your enemies by surprise – but struggled with lesson six.

Rey wasn't used to having her fighting movements be one, perfectly smooth, efficient use of energy, each move flowing into the next in an endless stream.

“I'll leave reinforcement of that to his lordship. Lesson six trips up most, if not all, Guard trainees,” Phasma huffed, straightening up from her bent, tired posture. Rey bemoaned the possibility of a repeat lesson, but even she had to admit, fluid fighting was a tough skill to master.

Dinner time approaching, Rey returned to her suite to shower and dress in fetching, flowing red silk, and don makeup a bit more vivacious in color. Fixing the locks of her up-do that had fallen out of place in the course of the day, Rey was feeling unusually flirtatious in her spin on a femme fatale. The daringly-tall burgundy heels didn't serve to hurt that impression.

She proceeded down to the private dining halls at a leisurely pace, pausing to stare out the East wing's windows, knocked breathless by the deep oranges, pinks, and golds of the sunset.

She jumped at a pair of arms wrapping around her waist, but far from batting them away, let herself be enfolded by Kylo's warmth.

“You weren't kidding when you said the sunsets are gorgeous...” she whispered, so as not to disturb the gentility of the moment.

He hummed, noncommittally, presence awash with peace and a steady sort of delight. And yet, when turned her face to gaze at her with undisguised affection, she felt it when his heart gave a sudden, sturdy _thump_ in his chest, flame-heart heating rapidly, the sensation obvious underneath her fingertips, in spite of his thick, ebony-satin jacket.

“ _You're_ gorgeous...” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her with such fervor that her red, red lipstick became noticeably smudged, and warmth shot straight down into her stomach like a fiery arrow.

She would've lost herself to the passion and sensation, had the thought of another potential chaperone intruding on their moment not helped her keep her head. Kylo pulled away, clicking his tongue in frustration. He'd caught her thought.

“Dammit, no – you're probably right.”

“Later...” she whispered, pressing a little promise against his lips that made his heart skip a beat again as his ears turned pink with his blush. She cleaned up her lipstick as he offered her his arm.

“Peckish, my lady?”

“Starved.”

The pair walked into the dining room, beautifully laid out for a candlelight dinner for two, and Kylo had to throw his helmet on in a rush, making Rey cough on the cloud of sudden ashes.

Oddly enough, their chaperone for the evening was coughing too.

“Hello there, Count Grievous!” Rey said, with slightly exaggerated pleasantness, her smile half grin and half grimace.

“Lady Rey! A pleasure to see you again!” said the Mantis, bowing dramatically, dark cloak swishing behind him.

The pair settled in for their meal, Grievous chatting a bit about positive progress in the Separatist protests and improved lobbying in the Senate.

“And again, many thanks to you, my lord, for your generous contribution to our cause,” said Grievous, sleazy with his appreciation, rubbing his pincers together in a slimy fashion.

Rey quirked an eyebrow up in surprise. Kylo groaned in her mind before answering.

_If I hadn't offered him the help, he wouldn't have kept up his bowing and scraping towards you for the duration of his stay, my lady. I wanted to avoid troubles similar to what you experienced at the engagement ball._

_So, you don't agree with his views whatsoever?_ Kylo rolled his eyes beyond the emerald visor.

_I didn't say that. Some days I think the Empire could do with a bit more democracy. The difficulty behind such a decision, however, would be encouraging such a change to occur, peacefully. Especially among the court. You understand, I'd prefer it if not all of my family, or millions of my people were, say, murdered in a bloody revolution._

Rey's stomach dropped as she paled.

_On that political view, my dear, we are perfectly agreed..._

The steak and greens were savory and filling, and Grievous didn't make for terribly bad company when he wasn't being constantly silenced by his estranged father, or else running his mouth, non-stop, over matters of politics.

“Have you picked a date for the ceremony yet, my lord?” Grievous asked amicably, as their dinner neared its end.

Kylo coughed in surprise, but managed not to choke on his wine.

“Um...no Count Grievous. The wedding has not come into conversation much, between us...” Grievous raised his brows in surprise, tilting his head curiously.

“Not even to discuss the guest list? I imagine, with so large a family, you would want to settle that early, less to worry about further down the line.”

Kylo sighed, in begrudging agreement.

“True enough, given I have no love for such tedious tasks. However, Grievous, you must understand, I do not wish to pressure my fiancé into making such important decisions too early in our courtship.”

“Certainly, certainly. All things in good time, as Lady Skyre always says. But still – have you no special wish or ardent request for the event Lady Rey? A union between Nightmare and Somni marriage traditions, perhaps?”

Rey shrugged, flushing a bit uncomfortably at the question.

“Well, I – suppose so. But again, I haven't really given it much thought either. Surprising, I know, given my reputation as a romantic, but...I have relatively few definite wishes for my wedding from childhood fantasies about the big day...” Rey said, haltingly, swirling her wine about in her glass, nervously.

She set it down and tried to take a steadying breath, hoping to keep the concept of marrying Kylo from overwhelming her entirely.

“I suppose I'd want there to be flowers in the décor...light and darkly colored, to represent both of the houses coming together – say, white roses and pink or ivory hyacinths, and blooms in blues and purples, maybe irises, or morning glories...” Rey mused.

“Delphinium could work nicely as a crawler in trailing arrangements for the banisters...” Kylo offered, lightly, fidgeting with the stem of his glass.

“Delphinium?” Rey asked, perplexed, surprised by her fiancé's insight. Romantic though she knew he was, flower knowledge that specifically helpful was odd, even for him.

“Tall, blue-and-purple flowers, brilliant and bright in color. They need some sort of support like a wall or pole or slats to grow because they have a tendency be grow so tall.”

“Hmm...I'd never heard of that kind of flower. Yes, that would be quite useful...”

“Have you given thought to the menu?” Grievous probed.

“No, but whatever variety Daisy and the staff can whip up that would feed the large party would be fine!” Rey giggled. “The one sticking point is that I wouldn't want a city-planet-style layered cake.”

“Thank the stars!” Kylo laughed “I can't stand those thick, heavy things, so coated with frosting – _ugh_.” he said, shuddering at the thought of so much sugar. Rey brightened.

“The traditional wedding desert on Jakku is something of an amalgamated pile of honeyed sweet bread, sometimes filled with a bit of cream. It's very light and easy to make, crispy on the outside and warm and melted on the inside. I'm sure I could write down the recipe for Daisy...”

“As for including Somni traditions, I'd like to part-take in 'Something Borrowed, Something Blue,' but that's between me and my wedding party, and should be simple enough to arrange.”

“I'm not familiar with that one, my lady,” Kylo said, cocking his head.

“Oh! Well, it's a tradition for the bride to wear a collection of four items for her ceremony, 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.' It's a fanciful little thing, really, but I always found it so sweet that the bride's party comes together and passes down pieces from their weddings and family heirlooms to dress the bride...” Kylo hummed in pleasure.

“Nightmare grooms have a tradition too, a candlelight vigil at dusk the day before the wedding. Usually its a small ceremony between father and son, or else, between brothers, but...I'm sure Earl Tyranus or my sire wouldn't be opposed to part-taking in a bit of meditation and a toast.” Rey smiled at the thought of Kylo experiencing a bit of familial warmth, even if it seemed difficult or unlikely.

Grievous broke the happy notion.

“If they are too busy, surely cousin Maul-”

“Er-hrmm – I doubt _Marquess_ Maul would have time for that sort of thing!” Kylo interjected, taking a drought of his wine, even as Rey broke out in a smirk.

“But he meditates as well, I don't see why-”

“Fine, Count Grievous, then _you_ be the one to ask him for me, if you're so eager.” Kylo sighed languidly, stress already building noticeably in the Ethereum from just _thinking_ about who would be in attendance at the wedding.

“Do you think Lord Sidious would have a fit if he wasn't invited? Or Baroness Ventress? Or the entirety of Countess Cognus' family?” Kylo posed, voice lilting in the echo of a joke.

Grievous sighed.

“My lord, I don't think there are many members of the Court that would take kindly to such exclusion,” the Mantis muttered, voice gravely and severe “At most, perhaps the Executioners would decline upon being invited. But rest assured, they would take insult if they alone were left off the list of invitations...”

Kylo groaned, massively.

“ _Fine_. The whole family is invited then. For Rey, I would assume Finn and Poe – would you be inviting anyone else from your side?” Rey let out a small sigh.

“There _is_ no one else, Kylo, you know that...” she said, sadly “Unless I could add, say, Phasma, the Ticos, and Kaydel Connix to my wedding party?”

“Of course, that could be arranged!” he responded, amicably.

“Really? Can we give the day off to Daisy and Matt as well? Invite them purely as guests?”

“I don't see why not.”

Rey grinned. This brainstorming was actually starting to become fun.

“Did you have in mind a white dress, then, Lady Rey? To suit the flower's color scheme?” asked Grievous. She whirled on him, playfully.

“Count Grievous, I'm surprised at you – asking me to expose secrets about my wedding gown in front of my fiancé!”

Kylo laughed, goofy and riotously at that. Even Grievous got the joke, rolling his great, yellow eyes, though his laugh was more of a hacking cough.

“But no, Grievous, it won't be a white dress. I'd want something bold and brightly colored, vaguely magical and dramatic, befitting the Lady Emperor's-Hand. I don't know that I would want something as simple as a white gown, not for the ceremony, anyway. A lightly-embellished, white dress would be good to dance in at the reception instead.”

Kylo hissed in worry.

“Are you also planning on serving alcoholic beverages, Rey? Because if so, with drinks and a dance floor, our wedding can be expected to go as well as our engagement ball.” Rey groaned and buried her face in her hands for a moment as he smiled anxiously.

“Alcohol only for the dinner toast, then...”

“Dinner toast? Would the reception last all day then?” Kylo asked, chuckling warmly.

“Ceremony at about 2:00, reception going all day and well into the night,” Rey said with a joyful smile.

“We'd best start asking for the availability of that sixteen piece orchestra again, then. If not two orchestras!” Rey giggled.

“And as for a rough date, to answer your first question, sir...I'd think before the cold sets in, and autumn arrives?”

Grievous started at her words.

“Before summer's end? In less than three months time?!” The Mantis laughed, jovially, turning to face her fiancé.

“Good on you, cousin, for charming her so thoroughly! Not even Ahsoka was so eager to marry Maul!” he said, as dessert was passed around, and they tucked into the fluffy meringue.

Rey tried to bury herself in her dessert as best she could, keeping her eyes downcast.

The look Kylo was giving her, all doe-eyed and filled with longing, even with his visor-darkened eyes...

She wanted to dissolve into a puddle on the floor and vanish. At least, if her blush didn't make her melt, first.

She still wasn't sure on the matter of his offer. But, one thing was for certain – if she decided she wanted a wedding in her future, she didn't want it to be in winter, close to the New Year and Hearth-Warming celebrations. She wanted to give their day its due, and for the flowers to be in season for the occasion.

She was just being practical, really, when it came down to it...

It wasn't a matter of over-eagerness at all...

Oh, who was she kidding? If in another month, she decided they could problem-solve fairly well, compromise as needed, and stand living together, she'd slap the veil on her head immediately, without question.

...Provided it didn't completely conceal her face, and was just an adornment for her head.

“I suppose the only question that's left,” said Grievous as they had their last bites of meringue and the Mantis wiped his mandibles of any lingering cream. “Is who would walk Lady Rey down the aisle?”

Rey chewed her lip in thought.

“If the Emperor wouldn't take offense at not being my choice...” she grimaced, voice hesitant and creaking.

“He likely won't,” Kylo murmured “He almost seems entirely disinterested in discussing our marriage at this point. I wonder why...”

“What about your father, then?” Rey asked.

His eyes shot to meet hers and the air in the room seemed to still.

“You can't be serious...” Kylo muttered, tone unusually low even for his helmet's infrasonic modulator. Rey stiffened.

“Forgive me, dearest, for misunderstanding, but you said you would be inviting your _whole_ family.”

“ _Er-hrrm_ , well my lord, my lady, forgive me, but I must be excused. I have, er, business to attend to elsewhere, eh-heh...thank you for tolerating my intrusion into your dinner...apologies again for...having to chaperone...”

Grievous rose stiffly from his chair, and walked rather quickly to the exit, slipping out the dining room doors, clearly scampering off in a hurry, if the _clicking_ of his armored feet was any indication.

Kylo rose, standing over her, indignant.

“When I said 'the family' I was referring to the court!”

Rey stood too, not to be over-shadowed.

“I understand that, now. But why are you so resistant to the idea anyhow?” Kylo scoffed, but the sound came out more as a derisive laugh.

“After everything I've told you about them, you would actually _want_ to meet my parents? You'd want my _dead-beat father_ who _left_ my mother and I to walk you down the aisle?!”

Rey stiffened her spine, but consciously tried not to raise her voice. Though she acutely recalled seeing Ben's memories of his parent's separation, from her research aboard _The Desiderata_ , it appeared that that was no longer the case.

“I know you said they divorced, but these days-”

“ _Yes_. These days if you watch the news on the interstellar net it seems as if the queen-mother and king-consort of Chandrila are experiencing marital _bliss_. But I assure you, Rey, appearances are deceiving. My parents never got along when I was growing up – not once. I don't know why they're back together, or what inspired my wandering father to _suddenly_ settle down, but I can assure, whatever the reason, I don't want them here, filling the halls of _my_ home with the sound of _their_ yelling too.”

Rey let out a large breath, staring her fiancé in the face. Every line of his body screamed aggressive and warning, from his arched shoulders, to his piercing eyes, to the way he was bent over the table, his whole body weight pressed upon it.

But she at least wanted to finish her thought.

“What if they came early? Well early? And you three had the chance to talk.” He scoffed.

“ _About?!_ ”

“Your lives. How you felt. Why you left. What you've been doing since. Why you want to marry me. Everything that you wanted to say but felt like you couldn't.” Kylo snapped away from the table, turning from her, eyes locking on a random point on the wall.

“I know that they made some awful mistakes and really selfish choices. But from I saw _in your head_ there was more to them than just their mistakes. And I'd like to decide for myself what kind of people they are, now. If after careful examination, I see them as irredeemable, than you'd never have to see them again and my internal conflict would be settled. But they'd be my in-laws, Ben. I'd like the chance to meet my _parents_ -in-law before I say 'I do' and commit to you forever.” He stiffened at her emphasis, but made no retort.

“Maybe don't invite your father, then. But you were close to your mum. Would you be against inviting her, having her walk me down the aisle?” she asked gently.

But he clenched his fists, and Rey decided that was enough. The Ethereum was dark and drowning with his pain.

“I don't know, Rey,” he said, firm, but his voice had lost its snappish quality. “It's complicated. I haven't seen them in ages, and I still don't know how to feel about half of the things that happened between us...besides, it's the _Nightmare_ court. My mother is a staunch supporter of the Republic, her life would be in grave danger here if she came.”

“Okay...” she murmured, with a firmness in her voice too, that said she was dropping the topic, but only for the time being.

He took a few breaths, and then rounded the table to her side, releasing his helmet and offering her his hand.

“...I'm sorry for raising my voice. I didn't mean to yell. It's just – talking about them, I still get so _angry_...” She took his hand without a second thought.

“I know, my dear. But it's a huge step forward from not talking about them at all. And I forgive you for a bit of yelling,” she said, gently, pulling the tiniest of smiles from her fiancé, as they left the dining hall, arm in arm.

They padded upstairs, Rey wondering how she could spend the rest of her evening time. Even as the hour was starting to grow late, she wasn't remotely tired. Then they got to their neighboring suites, and Rey saw a chink of the sky beyond her windows.

She sprinted up to the glass and planted her palms against it.

“Oh _wow_...” She could only see a fraction of the night sky, but what she could see of the stars was _glorious._ Kylo chuckled warmly behind her.

“I told you, my lady. There's no better planet to view the Ethereum from...” He moved to rest his hands on her shoulders, but she quickly darted out of reach.

“Get dressed in something more comfortable! I'll be right out – just give me ten minutes!!” Rey exclaimed, charging into her closet and shutting the door, leaving a bewildered Kylo in her wake.

She swiped off her make-up in a rush, shucked off the fancy dress, and, for the first time in well over a month, donned her Duster uniform. The comfortable khaki clothes were like an old friend, the tank top, leggings, boots, arm-wrappings, and scarf still fitting her perfectly, snug and warm.

When she emerged from her closet, Kylo was waiting for her, dressed in well-worn black boots, casual dark linen pants, and a comfy-looking, navy, knitted sweater.

“C'mon!” Rey said, running back next to him, and cracking open the giant window and climbing out without hesitation.

“Wha – wait, Rey, where are you going?!” Kylo said, clambering out onto the miniature balcony next to her.

Rey sized up the distance to the roof, backed up a step or two, ran and leapt, running up, up, up the wall, fingers grasping onto the edge of the tiles with ease, and swinging her legs to hoist herself up.

_Rey! How am I supposed to get up there?! I'm no Duster!_

Rey rolled her eyes at him.

 _Use your shadows to make hand-holds or something! Hells, make a pulley system out of them to hoist you up – you can figure it out!_ she tossed back, beginning her leisurely walk down the ramparts.

In a moment, she heard frantic scrambling behind her, and saw that Kylo had managed, creating a seat of shadows to pull him up like a elevator. Still, he wasn't as agile as she, and was having trouble navigating the narrow foot-holds.

Even as she watched him, he wobbled, frantically trying to maintain his balance between the roof tiles.

Sighing playfully, she wandered back over to him, holding his elbow to support him as he hopped and stumbled over to the flat stretch of roof she'd reached.

“Don't tell me a former pilot is scared of heights...” she teased.

“A pilot – relies on his shuttle – which is – _designed to fly!_ ” he yelped, leaning on her as he lost his balance. She laughed, helping him find his feet again, and together, they clambered up some protruding bricks, with no shortage of shadow magick, onto the most even, wide open ledge, the highest point they could safely stand on.

Any other, higher, tower-perches, only Phoenixes and Dusters could safely negotiate.

“I, on the other hand, am designed solely for falling...” Kylo huffed, leaning against the safety of the eave they stood beside.

“Nonsense, Kylo. If your life had taken a different turn, you could be just as agile as I,” Rey encouraged. He barked in laughter.

“Please, my lady, look at me! I'm a stocky, awkward giant. I'm built for fighting, not leaping over rooftops!”

She turned from him just slightly, coyly twisting her hips.

“It's not that hard. Here, I'll give you a demonstration...”

Seeing her route clearly, Rey took off like a rocket, jumping on top of the eave beside them, and careening off its peak onto the nearest tower. She swung around, trailing the wall with her free hand, and leapt across a gap to a sturdy, narrow ledge. She hopped from eave to eave, switching her weight from side to side, aiming for the highest tower at the center of the Pumice Palace's cluster of turrets.

The distance to the tower's point was quite a sizable one, but Rey trusted her scarf as if it were her own limb with nerves and blood running through it, not just a piece of fabric. With the wind on her side, crossing the daunting distance from the main eave at the heart of the palace to the top of the North tower seemed a breeze.

From her perch, Rey turned back, spotting Kylo, looking only an inch or two tall to her eyes. She waved, jubilantly, and his returned greeting seemed dazed, even from this distance.

Steady as she was on her feet at any height, she'd had her bit of fun showing off, and wanted to get back to solid ground, and her fiancé.

Rey hurried back, leaping, twirling, flipping, sprinting, and finally tucking and rolling to a stop back on their eave, jumping to her feet beside him with a smile.

“Stars, you're incredible...” he murmured, in total reverence, his hazel eyes glittering with wonder. Rey snorted.

“If I am, than so is every Duster!”

“I'm not talking about every Duster, sweetheart, I'm talking about _you_. You're positively fearless and amazingly nimble. Even among Dusters, you're very talented,” he said, closing the gap between them to trace her wrapped arms with his thumbs.

Rey became so flustered and felt so worshipped under his tender, caramel gaze she didn't know what to say.

He felt her bemusement in the Ethereum as a fluttering like butterfly wings and grinned, bending to peck her forehead.

“There's no need to be that shy, my love. I'm merely speaking my heart...”

“But your heart is so generous...what am I to do with that?” He chuckled, nuzzling her cheek, making her positive her heart might burst.

“Say 'thank you...'” he whispered, low. She huffed in mild annoyance.

“Thank you, Kylo.” His chuckle was an affectionate hum, and he smooched her cheek too.

“That'll do. Now, you came up here to see the stars?”

Recalling her purpose, Rey lifted her head to do just that, and despite her expectations, gasped aloud in delight.

The entire Ethereum seemed to be laid out before them, each and every glittering star visible. It was one thing to see the aqua and oceanic and violet nebulae from a ship, but to be surrounded by the heavens...even on Jakku, the skies hadn't been this clear, this magnificent...

There were the warm tints of distant planets, the gleam of stardust, the twinkle of distant suns. She wondered if she could see home from here, but it almost mattered not if she couldn't. The whole universe wrapped around her like a warm, bejeweled blanket, and it was impossible to feel alone. How could she, when she was filled to the brim with wonder?

She turned on the spot, not taking her eyes off the skies, trying to see it all at once. Kylo smiled.

“Come on, let's sit.”

They settled side by side on the ledge, backs leaning against the eave, and drew close. Kylo slid his arm behind her shoulders, and Rey gladly molded against his side, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Gods...it's even more beautiful than I imagined...”

“Is there so much light, even on Jakku, that it polluted your sight?”

“In Niima, on a festival night? Certainly. Especially when fireworks got involved. Out in the desert, a mile or so from town, you could see the Ethereum more fully, but we didn't often stray so far. Krayt dragons, you know?”

Kylo giggled, the sound making joy bloom warmly in her chest.

“No, I don't know! In all my life, I never once lived on a planet with native Krayt dragons!” he laughed.

A vague gust of wind passed over them and Rey shivered, realizing how much Mustafar could cool at night, compared to its warm-to-broiling days. She drew her scarf more closely about her, turning its length into a multilayered shawl.

Kylo hugged her closer, rubbing away the chills on her upper arm.

“Sorry. I should've brought a second sweater for you, or something...”

“No, my dear, I'll be fine. Just keep me close...” Rey murmured, nuzzling into the space between Kylo's neck and shoulder. A smile turned his lips effortlessly, his breath warm on her cheek.

“Gladly, my love,” he whispered, pressing a chaste kiss to her temple, tightening his grip, his body heat rushing into her chilled skin. But after all the kisses they'd been cheated out of, or had to post-pone that day, Rey wasn't solely looking for something pleasant and sweet.

She all but clambered into his lap, her longing pulling her to him like gravity. With her legs perpendicular to his own, she enfolded his lips with hers, molding against him, tender and slow, a bit like pulling softened taffy. He gasped and melted, holding her tight against his chest. His body flared with inner warmth and she smiled against his mouth, content to explore at her leisure, kissing him deeper as passion flooded her system.

She hummed with her joy, but as he nibbled her bottom lip, it nearly morphed into a moan. He gripped her tighter, tugged her closer, fingers sinking into her very spine.

 _My Lady Rey...I love you, ever so much..._ Kylo sighed in her head, set on rapturously devouring her mouth as he massaged the small of her back, fingers stroking adoringly over her shoulder blades.

Desire shot down to her belly as his tongue lapped at hers. As impassioned as it was, the shock of the still-new sensation was dulled by how deliciously tender it was too.

 _Oh! Ben...stars, I love you too..._ she moaned back, not caring so much if she sounded a bit drunk on desire anymore. He had the uncanny ability to make her feel fearless, to build a resilience against her desires so she wouldn't crumble beneath their weight.

_When you said you'd consider being married so soon...Gods, I thought my heart would explode..._

He was clutching her so close, fingers gripping her Duster tunic tight, bunching it in his fists like he was terrified she would vanish on the spot. She hummed with nervous laughter.

_I still haven't said 'yes,' Ben!_

_But it didn't taste a lie..._ he murmured, pulling away to deliriously gulp the same air as she, hazel eyes glinting with mischief in the starlight, before diving back in for more. Gods, he was delicious. No Mystic had any right to taste _this_ sweet and succulent and spicy, to have lips so plush and soft and delightful to kiss...

 _Mayhaps not...but I'm still – not ready – to commit – so seriously – just yet._ They were exchanging quick pecks now, playful, flirtatious things that were affectionate in their own way.

_Take your time, my love. I'm a patient man, and I'll wait any length of time for you._

_Be-eeeennn!_

_Hmm-hmm, but I will! I will, my lady, I'll wait, and I'll love you and shower you with affection and gifts and hours whiled away spent kissing you just so and lift you up when you're troubled and hold you close all the while until you can't help but say 'yes'!_

A violent shiver tore through her body. Overwhelmed, she had to pull away.

Dammit, she'd been so sure that nothing could spoil this moment, and now she was shaking again and found it difficult to draw breath.

“Kylo...” she muttered, pressing a hand to his eager lips to stop him. He stiffened, attempting to loosen his hold to arm's length, and help make her comfortable again. He pecked her temple.

“Sorry-” She cut him off.

“You make me feel so strange, my dear...” she said, gulping, uncertain. She didn't want to hitch his desires too high, that would be insincere. But still, she wanted to tell him how deep and lusty her love ran, even now making her heart tremble, knowing that sharing her body still felt too daunting.

He blinked at her in slight surprise.

“What do you mean, my lady?”

She gently took his hand and pressed it to her chest, near her collarbone, flushed and yet somehow entirely demure and decent.

“You make my heart race so fervently – it's like it's trying to leave my body entirely and be with you...Yet, I'm scared by the passion I feel for you, even as my body and heart will gladly have you kiss me into oblivion. Is that usual, my love?”

His eyebrows quirked up, affectionate and bewildered.

“I wouldn't know, this being so new to me too. I just know I don't want to put you off by going too fast, or saying too much,” he muttered, a shy mess himself, blush flaring.

“How could you possible say too much, Kylo?” she grinned, not fearing tempting fate in the slightest.

“...You really want to know?” he said, swallowing. She nodded, emphatic and charming.

“When you kiss me so... _really_ kiss me and I feel you love me as ardently as I love you...it's like my whole body catches _fire_...” he whispered, nose caressing her cheek as he dipped in for a kiss, breath heated.

“Every inch of me is... _crying_ out for you, and my want for you grows every day, but I can somehow never get enough. My desire and my love are equally limitless. It's almost too much to even comprehend...”

Rey breath was loud, coming out in little, happy pants, and her delighted grin reassured him that speaking his mind had been the perfect thing to do.

“Oh Ben...I feel all of that too.”

“Yes?!”

“The endless passion, the fathomless ocean of love, yes, I do!” She kissed him, firm and amorous and he groaned with desire.

She pulled away, face beet-red.

“I'd appreciate if you didn't make such noises though...I'm afraid my body cannot tolerate them...” Kylo blinked at her in surprise.

“I...I'm sorry?” She tossed her head side to side, considering. Then, she had the nerve to blurt out her words of truth.

“I get this, warm, tight-coiled _thing_ , down in the pit of my stomach...I suppose it's not too different from catching fire, except I think of it more as drowning...in my desire...”

He couldn't help the way he hardened, sudden and aching, couldn't restrain his physical reaction to his passions. Fortunately, Rey seemed not to notice.

“Oh...”

She ducked her head, shyly.

“I shouldn't be saying such things...”

“No – please, say them!” he exclaimed, clutching her face. She chuckled.

“I'm not ashamed of my feelings, Ben. Maybe a bit hesitant to speak them aloud but, that's different. I just don't want to lead you on, is all, given that I'm...not ready for...” She sucked in a breath, determined to not be afraid of the words.

“I'm not ready to make love to you just yet...”

“I see...” he muttered, understanding dawning. He grinned, a bit cheekily “All the same...I still enjoy hearing how I make you feel. It's...exciting and pleasant to know that, even now, that desire is in you. It's a funny thing, being genuinely desired by someone...”

She bit her bottom lip, smiling.

“I know. I feel the same. Strange and bewildered, and bit overwhelmed.”

“Mmmm-hmmm,” he hummed, pecking her cheek again, filling her heart with that shot of joy, as opposed to her stomach or lower still. “Perhaps it is best that we stick to kissing alone, for the time being, if that is still so over-powering an activity.”

Rey nodded, and bent to continue her kneading of his lips, her affection making him well and truly tremble now that the beast had risen.

_Still, you're welcome to stroke my sides and caress me, too. It doesn't have to be_ just _kisses, and I love your cuddles..._

His gulp was a rough one as his fingers happily brushed over her curves, given that her fingers inched upward at the same time, smoothing over the back of his neck and finding their way into his hair, gently tugging it and combing through it reverently.

He moaned low in his throat, after one particularly firm, arousing tug.

_You'll have to forgive me, though, my lady, if...well, if my body isn't on the same page as my heart and mind sometimes..._

_What do you mean, my – oh!_

Rey shifted in his lap, just slightly, and stumbled upon his inconvenience.

Her mind was quick to dart back in time to the embarrassing 'talk' Finn had given her when she turned thirteen, so she couldn't be taken advantage of by horrible men, and the more practical advice about puberty, periods, and dating Aunt Jathka had given her.

But even with all that talk, she was sorely unprepared for the terrifying desire that pooled low in her belly upon her settling on the stiff member of a romantic partner.

Now it was his turn to flush crimson.

“Sorry, my lady...” Rey brushed her hair back behind her ear, blushing gloriously.

“I don't know what else I was expecting,” Rey said, her body going wild with all sorts of heated, fluttery feelings “Especially given what I said about my desire for you.” She grasped his shoulder kindly. “It's quite alright, Ben. I don't take it as a personal offense. On the contrary, it's quite flattering to know I make you feel that way...”

His smile was a wavering, shy thing.

“I never would have suspected kisses would throw me through a loop so badly before...but then, of course, the universe gave me you and I was sorely unprepared for the sheer want and yearning,” he muttered, biting his lower lip.

“ _Kylo!_ ” Rey exclaimed, cheeks blazing, as her passions only twisted tighter, her stomach flip-flopping.

“I'm sorry, my la-”

She collapsed against his shoulder with a groan.

“It's unfair! Truly it is! How can you make me feel so good with just a few words!?” He tried to avoid smirking with glee, but the task proved impossible.

“'Feel so good?'”

Rey lacked the words. She always had. But fortunately, she had her actions. She kissed him, intense and infatuated and sloppy, pouring all her love into his body through his lips.

_I love you_ , she declared between possessive pecks _I love you, and you make me feel so wanted and happy...and I just don't know what to do with the passion that comes with all that...besides kiss you 'til your lips turn blue..._

_But every time I shy, it's because I feel that desire so, so strongly, and I can't stand it..._

He gasped and turned her hips so she straddled him, one knee on either side of his body, and clasped her to him. They were flush with each other, and she didn't dare stop, just kissed him harder and sweeter.

They were lost to time and space. The only thing that existed was each other and their longing, and they drowned in it, fully lost to the riptides, no longer just bobbing happily on the surface. They teased and nibbled each other's lips, fingers sweeping over jaws, ghosting over throats, running their hands over shoulders, grazing sides and hips, swiping tongues and caressing cheeks and melting into oblivion, gasping and panting all along.

They kissed until they tired of the sensation, until their lips ached from contact and all their pent up passions had been declared, impressed and engraved invisibly on the other's mouth. Still, they stayed on the roof a bit longer, them and the stars, gazing up at their glimmering light, arms wrapped around each other until there was nothing but calm and peace. Then, Rey began to nod off against his shoulder, and Kylo asked the all-important question, now that his body had sorted itself out again.

“How do we get down, my lady?” he said, grinning guiltily. Still, she smiled, and rose sleepily, and together, slowly but surely, they returned to her window and stumbled back into her room. They stalled long enough to shut the glass pane and kick off their boots, but then Kylo seized her by the waist, and they collapsed onto her bed with a laugh, cuddling in close, turning boneless with each other's body heat under the covers, and trading chaste pecks and "I love you's" until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	29. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star-gazing on the roof together leads to unintended, mortifying consequences in the morning.
> 
> After training together, Rey stumbles across some of Ben's poetry and decides to sneak a peek.

She vaguely heard him rise and return to his room during the few minutes she was awake during the Sacred Hour, so it came as no great surprise to Rey when she woke up the following morning alone. Guessing that his absence had something to do with an early meeting, she gave it little thought as she rose, showered, and dressed for the day in a sky blue lace dress.

The over-eager knocking at her door signifying breakfast should have been a giant red flag.

Ahsoka all but charged into the room with her breakfast cart when Rey cracked open the door, and proceeded to sit and stare at Rey with owlish eyes, demeanor thoroughly impish, while she began to eat.

With a bit more sated of an appetite a few minutes later, Rey found she could tolerate the staring contest no longer.

“Why the curious expression, Ahsoka?” she asked, halting and thoroughly uncomfortable. Ahsoka flashed a vampiric grin.

“He took you up to the roof last night,” she said, voice dripping with suggestion. Rey's eyebrows shot up her forehead.

“Technically, _I_ encouraged _him_ to go star-gazing. Your point being?”

Ahsoka deflated so much that her impeccable posture sagged.

“Oh Thirteen Hells, that's all that happened?!” she pouted. Rey blinked at her in panic.

“Okay, we kissed quite a bit as well! Stars, is that indecent now or something?!”

“No, no, not at all! It's just that...well, that's it. You wouldn't know, would you? Alright. As your Courtship adviser, I take it as my personal responsibility to inform you on all romantic matters and Nightmare traditions.” Tano straightened into a serious, scholarly posture.

“It is typical that the first night a Nightmare courting pair make love be under the stars, ensuring the Ethereal Gods may witness their union taking place. It's a statement; they're declaring their love to the universe.”

Rey blushed furiously, against her better wishes.

“Oh. I see.” she said, running a weary hand down her face. “No. Kylo and I certainly did not make love on the roof last night.”

“Hmm, it's only a matter of time,” Tano said, flippantly. Rey didn't think she had the mental capacity to deal with Ahsoka's forwardness this morning. She'd only _just_ felt courageous enough to tell Kylo she desired him in earnest.

“Are you still a virgin, Lady Rey?” Rey groaned.

“Yes – why is that so important?!”

“Have you ever had a formal sex education?” she said, cocking her head daintily. Rey stared daggers at her adviser, not that she really deserved it.

“I know which hole he's supposed to go in, thank you very much.”

“Oh, my sweet summer child, but there's so much more to it than that!” Tano exclaimed, her distressed expression and light tone conflicting horrifically in Rey's brain. “Please tell me you at least know how to pleasure yourself!”

Rey's face was on fire.

“Ok!! That is getting way too personal now-”

“My dear, if you don't know what brings you pleasure, how could you possibly hope to instruct your husband on the matter?!”

Rey sighed, resignation flooding over her like a ton of bricks hitting her head.

“I do...touch...myself. I mean – I know what feels good, what I like,” Rey muttered.

“Have you ever given yourself an orgasm?” Rey cringed, but responded.

“Not every time I – do that, but usually.” Ahsoka nodded, as if satisfied with this.

“When it comes to sex, a big part of it is simply taking time to get familiar with one another. The best advice I can give you is to fool around first, alone, and with each other. Getting to know yourself thoroughly can only aid that process.” Rey could only blink, finding this whole conversation unreal. Here was Marchioness Tano, sitting across from her, and with utmost severity, giving her advice on how to have sex with her cousin.

“Figure out what each of you likes, and not just in the direct contact way – though, do practice getting each other off.”

Ahsoka mimed the motion of jerking off a man with her hand, sliding her loosely closed fist back and forth, and any remaining blood in Rey's body charged into her face at high speed.

“This movement on his cock is a general, good rule of thumb, whether your using your hand or your mouth to stimulate him. Most every man enjoys it. But each Mystic to his own – he may like specific pacing, fast or slow or with slight twists of your wrist or a swirling of your tongue. The underside of it, or the head, might be particularly enjoyable, or else, too sensitive, and demand less attention.

“And don't, under any circumstances, suck him off just to please him, especially if your gag reflex is awful and prevents it from being any sort of enjoyable for you. Sex, like all parts of a relationship, should be mutual and reciprocal. You don't have to do something if you don't want to, and _nothing_ should be automatically expected of you.”

That last bit, at least, was a sentiment Rey could agree with, and she found herself nodding. Then, wide-eyed and pleased, Ahsoka swung right back the other way.

“In short, learn what gets you both excited before you try penetrative acts – explore amongst kisses and caresses and words too. That way, when the night comes you want him inside you, he'll know how to get you well and truly wet before-hand.”

“Ahsoka-!” Rey cried. The Astrae threw up her hands, exasperated.

“It will be a rather difficult time for him to move in you if you're bone-dry, regardless of your position!”

“I figured, but you needn't say it like that!” Rey yelled, face crimson.

“What good would beating around the bush do? Or being shy? When you lack experience, the direct approach is best for instruction.”

Rey buried the lower-half of her face in her cupped hands and listened in petrified silence. Taking this change as an encouragement, Ahsoka pressed on.

“It'd do you well to practice stretching yourself out with your fingers a bit, too, get accustomed to the feeling of being full. Given the family's history, and Lord Kylo's proportions...he's bound to be hung like a bear...”

Rey buried her face fully, mortified, and willing herself to disappear.

Fittingly enough, across the hall, Ben had assumed the exact same position while sitting on his bed for remarkably similar reasons.

“Don't just shove your cock into your lady, think with the head up here,” Maul said, tapping his temple with his forefinger “Ladies need time and attention to prepare. Sex is an emotional, mental process for them – not just physical. They need to be properly seduced and comfortable. Making them come with your fingers or your mouth before pushing in the first time also helps a great deal,” he said, pressing on, as if his cousin wasn't cooking alive in his skin from the shear, radiating embarrassment.

Albeit, maybe that only served to motivate him. The Daemon did love seeing him suffer.

Maul snapped his fingers next to Kylo's ear, making him jerk up and slap the Daemon's crimson hand away, face burning.

“ _Pay attention_ , cousin. You'll be thanking me later when you can actually make your lady happy,” griped Maul, expression sour.

“It'll be a cold day in the Thirteenth Hell before I thank-” But Maul caught off his dangerously low tirade, insisting on finishing his piece.

“ _Besides_ a lady's typically sensitive nipples, the two major points of pleasure are the ones within her pussy and without,” Maul held up his hands, making a ring with one and putting two fingers a few inches into the imaginary space, quirking them upwards a bit.

“The G-spot's inside and on the upper wall. Reaching it with your cock or your fingers and rubbing it 'til you find the pace that suits her can get her off lightning-quick, and the tremors will be strong too – but _don't just charge into that one_. She has to be more slippery than a fresh-caught fish before you try to stick anything in her, or you'll hurt the lady.”

“Are you quite done?” Kylo snapped, wishing he could pass out on the spot, if only to forget the mental image of Maul miming the way he likely fingered his wife, and looking vaguely pleased with himself.

“If you tell me what the other point of pleasure near her pussy is, how to find it, and stimulate it to orgasm, I'll gladly leave,” Maul hissed. Kylo could only glower. When it came to female anatomy, his education had been limited to the bare essentials of where their monthly bleeding came from, and where to plant his seed with a partner who planned, and wanted, to bare his children.

His father had been quite the lady's man in his youth, but he had taken off before Kylo had started any sort of dating and would've needed advice.

Maul took Kylo's silence and half of his flustered face being covered by a hand as an answer, and imitated the female parts with his hands again, two fingers acting as the labia this time.

“Hidden by her lips, near the juncture at the top, is the real point of pleasure – a little round nub, her clit. It takes longer to get her off by this, but the trick is patience and soft touches.” Horror washed over Ben, cold and sharp when Maul's lips stretched into a lecherous smile and he mimed the motions again, rubbing at the webbed spot where his two fingers met.

“Go round and round with a wet finger or two, lightly enough, and at the pace that suits her, and before long she'll be _screaming_ in pleasure and dripping her delicious juices all over your fingers – or face, if you're using your tong-”

“Alright, that's enough!!” Kylo's shadows seized Maul about the shoulders and waist, and began pushing him towards the door, the Daemon's boot heels screaming in protest.

“Tch...oblivious virgin...” Maul growled, not even remotely put off by his cousin's reaction. A shadow tendril twisted the knob and threw open the door, seconds before Maul was launched into the hallway, Kylo there to block Maul's attempted re-entry with an outstretched arm.

“Maybe, but at least I have the decency not to refer to the sexual fluids of another man's betrothed with an expression of delight on my face!!” Kylo seethed, slamming the door in his cousin's face. Maul grumbled and walked off. And this was the treatment he got when trying to _follow_ Ahsoka's advice and be decent to the insufferable child...

Kylo, leaning against the closed door, groaned and ran his hands down his face. Couldn't someone, anyone else, have been responsible for giving him an anatomy lesson? Still, he supposed the information was helpful, in its content, if not its execution. However, any serious questions he had could've been answered by a few educational programs watched on a Uni-Screen, and, at any rate, he wasn't such an 'oblivious virgin' that he didn't know that every woman was different.

Some things, like the nuanced specifics of what Rey liked, he could only be taught by practice and experiencing intimacy with her.

He sighed and rose from his post. At least now the nightmare was over-

He heard Rey's door open across the way.

“-And let me know if you have absolutely _any_ further questions!”

“ _Thank you_ , Ahsoka. I will,” Rey said, tone of voice indicating a gritted-teeth grin.

His cousin simpered.

“I'll get you a prescription of birth control pills from the medical center and deliver them to you as soon as I can-”

“ _That will be all Ahsoka!_ ”

Ben buried his face in his hands. Please, please, please, let it all be some horrible dream...

He opened his eyes to his sun-lined, richly colored room. Nope.

Damn the stars, and all because he had to let her charm him up onto the roof...

Poor girl, how was he to apologize for the mortifying discussion he'd induced? He glanced at the potted carnations in the corner and rang downstairs for Daisy, imploring her to hurry.

~*~*~*~

Fifteen minutes later, he was standing outside her bedroom door, clutching the purple hyacinths he'd carefully arranged in his fist, the paper doily that served as a collar to the blooms under threat of being crushed. He knocked firmly, even as he felt his embarrassment sourly in his throat. Best to get this over with than drag it out unnecessarily.

If there was one thing he'd learned from all the years of watching his parents argue, it was that tiny matters not dealt with frankly and upfront could spiral out of control and turn into huge fights later.

The door flew open, and he was greeted by the sight of his fiancé grasping a filial stalk of daffodils, taking in the sight of his apology bouquet.

Their questions were identical and simultaneous.

“What are you apologizing for?”

Neither could help the soft peals of laughter that puffed out between their lips.

“I should have warned you – should have explained what you could expect, given how Nightmares interpret spending a night together on the roof-”

“And _I_ shouldn't have pushed you up there, leading them to assume that there was more going on than there was!”

He clicked his tongue, locks flopping into his face as he shook his head.

“My love, you merely wanted to watch the stars in romantic bliss. There isn't a thing to apologize for.” Rey shed a wide grin as he fetchingly smoothed out his hair.

“Except that I heard Maul gave you the equal and opposite education that Ahsoka gave me, so...” She offered the single daffodil stalk with two bright and cheery yellow flowers.

“Mmmmm...I see your point, my lady. I will take your 'tussie-mussie' in payment then, for the petrifying embarrassment I just experienced.” Rey's smile at his use of her phrase fell in sad empathy as she accepted his blooms too.

“Oh...sweetheart...” He hollered with laughter.

“My love, I'm exaggerating, I'll live! Some images I may never get out of my head – but still...” Rey gave him a playful, light _thwack_ with his gift of purple hyacinths, leaving a smattering of golden pollen on his crisp black coat that he swiped off, smirking.

“You'd do well to remember a few of those mental images, if you can! I imagine they'll come in handy in the future...”

He pounced and suckled her soft, surprised lips with seductive zeal, making clear her cheek and desire did not go unreciprocated, and that thoroughly stilled her sassy protests. She was a bit preoccupied with nibbling his full, delectable lips too. They parted, flushed, and proceeded down the hall, heading to their daily outing, hand in hand.

They decided to continue Rey's fight training, since they had much of the day to themselves, due to a blessed absence of meetings and negotiations for Kylo. With more nuanced, broken-down-to-the-letter instructions to guide her, Rey was able to assemble and gradually speed up the process of flow-fighting in record time. Certainly, Kylo's metaphors comparing the art of efficiency more so to dancing that fighting worked wonders of connecting the dots in her brain.

Every one of his harsh rebuttals was met with smart defenses, losses of balance were turned into opportunities for surprise lunges and counters as they orbited each other in wide sweeps across the floor, and dodges became creative and symmetrical to the point of being cheeky.

“Get down from there, Rey!” Kylo found himself chortling two hours later, sizing up her agile, fit body with undisguised delight as she hung from a light fixture on the ceiling, body taught with one popped knee and one straight leg.

“Not until you admit that I've got it now and won't go for anymore low blows when I return to ground-level!” she grinned, not minding his admiring eyes one bit.

Even his pout carried a hint of a smile.

“Tell you what – if you get down here, I'll reward you for all your hard work...” he said, sing-songy as he lightly tossed his sword from hand to hand, the flames of the sharp edges _popping_ and _crackling_ with mischief.

“Oh-ho! Not a chance without more specifics!” Rey giggled, transferring more of her weight to the ceiling sconce, testing its limits. The screws _seemed_ to creak, and that was all the motivation Kylo needed.

“ _I'll kiss you however you like just don't make the ceiling collapse!!!_ ” he shrieked, and Rey had to land cat-like on the floor, while laughing her head off.

“Oh, my love, don't look so worried! Dusters always land on their feet!” Kylo let out a massive breath of relief and caught her about the waist mildly, pulling her in a lot less flirtatiously than he had intended.

“It's not your ability to catch yourself I'm fearful for, my lady, it's the integrity of the ceiling!” She hummed with mischievous laughter, capturing his mouth and claiming her reward, so sensuous and slow that Kylo's fears were quickly forgotten.

After fifteen minutes of rolling about on the impact mat and kissing each other sweetly, the other's laughter vibrating in their chests and tickling them with the warm sound, they rose and got back to business. Kylo moved on to lesson seven, a run-down of the body's major weak points to exploit, whenever possible (both of the fatal and non-fatal, but terribly painful, varieties) and after going a through a few successful practice drills, he declared them done for the day.

They returned to their rooms to shower, and given that Rey hadn't gotten terribly sweaty, she was done refreshing and dressing before him. After Ahsoka swept by to deliver the contraceptive pills they'd discussed and Rey had shooed her out in chagrin, popping the first day's and swallowing it with a bit of water, she wandered over to Kylo's room out of curiosity. He had certainly never suggested that she wasn't welcome.

Still, she broadcasted her presence loud and clear in the Ethereum so he wouldn't be spooked when he came out of the shower – its water-flow thunderous in the on-suite bathroom.

Like on _The Desiderata_ , his curtains were darkly colored, the floor tiles immaculately clean, and the hangings, bedding, trimmings and trapping were all various red, velvety shades. However, like her room, the architecture was more curvilinear and soft than the sharp lines about her fiancé's ship. Here, the only swatch of black was his sweeping, elegant bed frame, and every other non-red shade was some sort of gentle, cool gray.

There was something...friendlier about it, somehow. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it felt lived-in – his breakfast cart from that morning had been left there, strawberry crepes unfinished, his closet was open, revealing the wash of dark clothes inside, a few socks and shirts forgotten on the floor, and there were stacks of paper and a calligraphy set on his desk-

“Oh! Apologizes Rey!” She whipped around at being unexpectedly addressed, just biting back her surprised squeal. It was Daisy with Kylo's lunch cart.

“It's quite alright, Daisy. You're just doing your job – I'm the one who's 'intruding.'” Even though her tone suggested a bit of hyperbole, Daisy still shed a conspiratorial smile.

“It's not intruding when your fiancé's smitten with you and would gladly welcome you inside...” Rey's eyebrows shot up as she glowered, sarcastic and warning.

“Surely you've heard from Matt that we haven't slept together yet?” Rey dead-panned. Daisy started, pushing the cart in the rest of the way.

“Yes, but, last night-”

Rey groaned, loudly.

“Gods above, has everyone heard about that already?” Daisy's guilty grin was answer enough. She sighed. “We just made-out! Stars, must we be the talk of the palace?!”

“You two _are_ the most juicy bit of gossip there is to discuss.”

“Oh, I beg to differ...” Watching the Frost Fae turn bright red made her fake cheek well worth it. “Kidding, kidding Daisy! I would refuse to start rumors about you and Matt – never fear!” Daisy merely rolled her eyes and stood up straight again.

“I'll bring you your lunch as well, my lady,” and bowed herself out.

“Yes, thank you, that would be much appreciated!” Rey called after the servant, turning her attention back to Kylo's desk.

She wandered over and when her eyes alighted on the parchment she gasped. The ebony, curling, cursive letters, were written so tenderly and carefully she almost thought they had to be machine-produced. But no, Kylo's hand merely had a scientific precision and an artistic sensibility, and judging by the numerous collection of jewel-toned pen handles, and both sticky and old, and gleaming and sharp, pen nubs, it was a hobby he'd been engaged in for quite some time. A smile grew on her face, broad and beautiful, as she began to read the top piece of parchment.

_Plumage of Gods_

_Pristine, painted eyes_

_Those of sweetest, sparkling tears_

_And shortest, guttering lives_

_Ever were we kin_

_Young twins, born of ash_

_Forged by fire_

_Set free to fly_

_Innocent conception_

_Immaculate deception_

_There is no place for your beauty now_

_Your song would only fall on deaf ears_

_In a universe too hard of heart to hear_

_I alone would be your loyal Listener_

_The Watcher in the Night_

_Waiting to see if you shall sing for me again_

_I await your rebirth_

_Bated breath_

_In my hearth of home_

It was as beautiful a poem as it was melancholy, though Rey was hardly an expert when it came poetry. Still, it felt so organically Kylo, honest and unrestrained, that she couldn't help that the words warmed her heart. She wasn't sure how she'd imagined he'd phrase his love and respect for Phoenixes if given the time to really reflect on the words and his thoughts, but it mattered not. She was mostly just glad he had an outlet for expressing himself. She shuffled the papers and picked up another poem.

_Green_

_Verdant, unabashed, fervent, glorious green_

_I used to pray for summers like these_

_How soon we forget the lessons of youth_

_That vitality is king and serf_

_It brings us back to life as well_

_Food for the soul_

_Brilliant to see the new, rounded leaves_

_Lamb's eyes, innocent and open_

_Their trunk, our center_

_Organic backbone_

_That lifts us, when we cannot_

_Bark that guards_

_Scratch the texture and remember what it is to feel_

_Scritch,_ screech _, scrit,_ scruff

_Beautiful_

_Only the Gods can make trees_

_But I would be honored to make_

_My own one day_

The warmth and loving observations in this one made her flush with joy. She wasn't sure she understood all the choices of language or metaphors, but even Rey could spot that the ending carried a bit of an innuendo. Her blush deepened, and she wondered if he'd intended the double-entendre.

She kept exploring his works.

_When dreams do come_

_Disturbance pervades_

_How can I sleep well_

_Between black and white?_

_Between promise and freedom?_

_Between duty and honor_

_Between past and future?_

_It's a wash of noise, the dark_

_Relentless noise_

_Snapping_

_Crunching_

_Breaking_

_Breathing_

_Bruising_

_Yelling_

_Growling_

_Screaming_

_Aching_

_Oozing_

_Screeching_

_Thudding_

_Shrieking_

_Weeping_

_Clashing_

_Ringing_

_I wish it would just stop_

_Sometimes I find the hurricane's eye_

_Fleeting peace_

_Father's voice_

_“You're a good boy, Ren,_

_I'm proud of you,_

_You will be great and powerful,_

_Someday.”_

_But sometimes, I emerge from the deepest, blue sea_

_Not the black cacophony_

_And that embrace is incomparable_

_It is the sweetest sensation in existence,_

_Such a full embrace_

_A wash of skin_

_A shivered delight_

_I know it is she,_

_Instinctive_

_As a mother knows her child's voice,_

_I'd know my love anywhere_

_Key to ascension,_

_My guardian Seraph_

_My sweet, promised Duster_

_Seldom does she speak_

_I know when she does_

_I wake, weeping_

_Wracked with pain_

_Her mercy is bliss_

_Soul-rending_

_Bliss_

_I crumble in her embrace_

_Weak with want_

_Surrender to Dannan flaws_

_Like the mountain bows to the sea,_

_For even stone recognizes water's might_

_I take up my quest again_

_That tender touch calls for me so_

_My skin begs for it_

_Her golden flash_

_Her honeyed voice_

_Sun-kissed skin on mine_

_Her twin suns haunt me,_

_When I can recall their topaz shade_

_I must find_

_Her solitary voice_

_Imbuing some forgotten part_

_With life_

Her heart despaired, reading of Kylo's painful connection to dark magicks and the Nightmares, even if it was only a subdued taste of how their influence on his younger self had been.

But her heart became so full and soft upon reading the back half of the piece that she was swept up by love's current. He'd _dreamed_ of her – according to the text more than once, and by the date well over a year ago! Even then, he was embracing her, even as he was referring to his emotions as 'weakness' within the text itself. It was a promising indication she wished she'd found sooner.

At the bottom of this lengthier poem, Kylo had added, “ _Note to self: burn during next sabbatical_.”

She smiled at the thought that he'd never gotten a chance since he'd changed so.

There were other reflections in the pile she skimmed over, bits about darkness, and light, and storms, and seas, and space, Mustafar's dust storms, Chandrila's drizzly evenings from his childhood memories, and even a little unflattering limerick about Hux. Her fingers at last alighted on his most recent poem, written the day prior and melted into sweet affection upon reading the brief poem.

_Embraced by curved root and I_

_Eyes a skyward turnéd thing_

_Back strong against my trunk chest_

_Breeze softer than lover's whisper_

_Speckled reflection of shade and light_

_Tiny freckles in sharp relief_

_Full, rosy lips, glimmering in the sun_

_Delight dappling her golden, mossy eyes_

_Infinite summer pools_

_A secluded spot to rest weary bones_

_And restore one's soul_

_I could stare forever_

_But bold laughter,_

_Boisterous as engine's roar,_

_More tender than phoenix song,_

_Sets my heart aflame,_

_And force my eyes shut_

_I cannot drink of precious nectar,_

_While staring at her freckles,_

_Blown so large_

_They eclipse my view_

_Only with sight denied,_

_Can I taste her wondrous smile_

She hadn't time enough to react, or even really hear, when Kylo exited the shower. He caught sight of her at his desk and it was all over. He yelped and she screamed, as he all but careened into his desk, blocking her view, hair still slightly damp, dressed formally again, though his buttoned shirt had come half untucked, and he'd yet to don his jacket.

“ _Don't read those!!_ ” he yelled, face crimson.

“Kylo-” She was already laughing, hands propped on her hips.

“Please, my lady, don't press! I hadn't intended them for any eyes but my own!” Rey's eyes turned so round and pouty and sweet that he almost caved. Almost.

“But they're so beautiful...”

“I don't know that I'd call painful reflections on my youth 'beautiful'...”

“Beautiful with how vulnerable they are...”

That, at least, got him to soften and relax a hair, hands shifting the pieces of parchment around, stacking them back in a semblance of order.

“Ah...my lady, you're too kind. I'm just an amateur when it comes to writing.”

“The one you wrote about us in the garden yesterday was particularly sweet...” He laughed, but it was shy, pained sound.

“Oh stars – you found that one, did you?” His attention divided, her soft kiss caught him by surprise. It was such a lovely, gentle thing that his tense shoulders unwound and his posture relaxed as his body molded to fit her embrace perfectly.

“Might I make a request?” she asked when she parted from him, warm and breathy. He was still blinking in sleepy wonderment at her gifted kiss, attempting to gather his senses.

“Certainly, my lady.”

“Could you write a poem for me, _intended_ for my eyes to view?” A crooked grin arose, though the glittering wonder in his soft hazel eyes remained.

“About?”

“Any tender thoughts you have for us. Anything you feel about me that you'd want to share with me. Consider it another courtship gift,” she grinned, and he brightened at the phrase.

“Very well. But, forgive me in advance if it's the most hopelessly romantic drivel that ever gets put to paper!”

“Oh please – I'd voraciously devour such honeyed words, meant for me!” Rey was finding it tricky to kiss her fiancé when they were both smiling so happily, but she bore the burden of accidentally clicking their teeth softly together for the sake of drinking him in again.

After a swift lunch, both Maul and Ahsoka accompanied them for their walk about the gardens. The sight of the pair waiting for them at the bottom of the front stairs made Rey's anxiety skyrocket in the Ethereum, but Kylo squeezed her hand in reassurance.

“Maul and I wanted to take your walk as an opportunity to explain the Nightmare ritual Pilgrimage to Rey,” explained Ahsoka, measured and kind. Ah, so that was the reason for their dual presence.

“All told, I could use a bit of a refresher myself,” Kylo joked under his helmet, prompting a laugh to burble up from Rey too.

They circled the palace leisurely, ducking under the shade of the sparse trees whenever possible, as Ahsoka began her explanation with a smile, her and Maul trading sentences back and forth.

“During a Nightmare pair's courtship, it is traditional that the groom give a tour of his home planet to his bride.”

“Think of it as an expedition. You'll head out into the fields of ashes, armed with survival equipment, a tent, and your wits, and navigate the landscape,” Maul continued.

“The ritual dictates that you explore all the major biomes of the groom's home-planet in question.”

“In Mustafar's case, its deserts, scrub forests, lake country, and mountain region.”

“You'll be living off of sparse food supplies-” A sentiment that made Rey visibly anxious.

“Which is a rare exception in the ritual. Normally, you are expected to live purely off of the land,” Maul said, pettily, as if Rey should be grateful. Ahsoka swatted his shoulder at his harsh shift in tone and pressed on, silencing him.

“But, given Mustafar's elusive wildlife and limited vegetation, you will be granted portions and water-skins to carry with you to supplement that which you hunt and gather.” Rey found herself smiling, relieved.

“Good thing I grew up hunting on Jakku, then. To think that skill set will come in handy again,” she said, slipping her arm from Kylo's crook to draw back into an archer's stance, light magicks whipping and swirling in her fists 'til they burst, leaving a handsome, curved, sunlight hunting bow and a nocked, razor-pointed, starlight arrow in its wake. Ahsoka clapped, brief and giddy, while Maul's perpetual scowl softened into a vague look of content.

“Forgive me if you'll have to instruct me in field-dressing matters, my lady,” Kylo rumbled, infra-sonically, his proud smile obvious in his tone “Hunting I've plenty of experience with, but I'm hopeless when it comes to cooking.” She chortled, relaxing her hold and letting the bow and arrow _whiz_ out of existence in ribbons of light.

“Fair enough, dearest. I'll teach you as best I can.” Ahsoka simpered unabashedly at Rey's bold use of the pet name in company, but Maul was quick to tack on a key, forgotten detail.

“It also should be noted that one night of your journey must be spent sleeping in the Nightmare temple on the Igneous Isle.”

Kylo whirled on his cousin.

“ _Must?_ Since when?” he exclaimed, shoulders glowing orange, defensively. Ahsoka reached out, placatingly grasping her cousin's hands in hers.

“Kylo, my lord, every pair among the Nightmare court has spent a night in the old temple, it's really nothing to fuss about-”

“None of the others had Duster brides!” he hissed, panicked. Ahsoka's brow wrinkled in annoyance.

“Mayhaps, but need I remind you that I too am a Celeste Somni, and survived my night in the temple just fine, in spite of practicing a completely different religion.” Kylo pulled his hands from her grasp with a huff, only hitching Ahsoka's ire higher, the Astrae setting her sienna-bronze hands on her hips.

“Stars, Kylo – it's just a building! A couple of old walls, corridors, eaves, and antechambers, it is not a cursed place!”

“But it _does_ have a strong connection to Nightmare magicks – dark magicks!” he said, voice piqued with fear.

“So do _you,_ cousin. And your fiancé has been just fine in your presence. Surely she possesses a strong enough will to spend one night there?” Kylo's gaze whipped back to her.

Rey considered. A month or two ago, she would have been weary. As it stood, she'd taken more towards Ahsoka's stance when it came to places where Nightmares dwelled.

“I'll be sure not to underestimate the power such a collusion point of dark magicks could have. However, if Ahsoka was fine...I fail to see how there would be much trouble for me-”

His hard stare beyond the green visor was enough to freeze her words on her tongue entirely.

She could feel prominently enough in the Ethereum what he was thinking. Could the supposed Daughter's Heir _truly_ be safe in a place so connected to darkness?

Rey took a breath and pressed on, much more gently.

“...Besides, you'll be there to protect me,” she said, shedding a half-smile.

Though Kylo was not so foolish as to ignore the saccharine quality of her words, he heard the truth in them too, and this was what prompted his taught posture to relax again, his shoulders cooling of their fire.

He knew the nature of dark magicks well – any lack of knowledge she had he could fill in the gaps of. He'd know the perils and the pitfalls they could anticipate, and would be able to warn her and shield her.

He sighed, mind made up.

“Fine. One night in the temple, no more.”

“Glad to see love hasn't utterly decimated your senses, cousin,” Maul wheedled, prompting a rather rude gesture to the Daemon from her fiancé.

Ahsoka merely rolled her eyes, as if a genuine fight between the short-fused pair _couldn't_ raze the entire palace to the ground at a moment's notice.

“And then, after that, we can start planning for the wedding in earnest! Following the magick union and bonding dance, of course,” she said, bubbly. Rey's eyebrows shot up her forehead.

She'd heard of magick unions from other courtships and weddings before – it was just casting a spell with the combined magicks of the couple in order to create something that only the pair could. Simple enough, especially now that her magicks had grown. But a bonding dance?

“What do you mean by 'bonding dance'?” Ahsoka waved her off.

“Oh, we'll get around to that, my dear. You are resistant to fire magicks, correct?” These words only made Rey blanch, but she nodded.

“Then you've nothing to worry about!” Ahsoka swept forward, latching onto her arm, and ferrying her further up the path, leaving the boys to glare disdainfully at one another.

“On the note of your wedding day, have you given thought to the dress at all? Just even the _slightest_ glimmer of inspiration? Preferably something _dazzling_ and _bold_ that I might have a hand at creating??” she prodded, visibly ecstatic.

“You've been hoping to make a wedding dress for one of your cousin's brides for a long time, haven't you, Marchioness Tano?” Rey smirked, prompting silvery giggles from the Astrae.

“Perceptive as ever, Lady Rey. I've been _dying_ to do it!”

“Well...I know I want something colorful-”

“Oh _excellent!_ ”

Rey couldn't help but laugh at this peculiar woman.

“Something big and bold that suits the energy of the court...maybe...something in royal blue?” Ahsoka grinned, cat-like.

“Why do I get the feeling you have more clear of a vision than you're letting on?” Rey hummed, humoring her.

“Mayhaps my subconscious does, but it has yet to take shape in my waking mind...”

“He-he! Well, let me know the _second_ it does so we can begin drafting designs!!” And with that, Ahsoka released her, charged back to her husband, sweeping him up in her wake, and leaving Kylo to step back up to her side, leaving them blissfully alone again.

“Where are they-”

“I asked my Marchioness cousin to take their leave once their explanation was done. I promised we wouldn't stay outside unsupervised for more than a few minutes...” Kylo said, low and mysterious.

Rey squinted at him.

“You're scheming something, sweetheart, I can tell...” His breathy, warm chuckle was adorable.

“Indeed I am. Except, this is merely the realization of a scheme that began over twenty-four hours ago,” he said, stopping when they reached the end of the garden path.

He swept his arms wide in both directions, his helmet fluttering apart in ashy puffs.

“And here we are.”

A sizable plot of land had been cleared out, the rocks removed, the dark earth tilled until it was moist and rich, just waiting for seedlings and bulbs to take root in the remaining, large, oval-shaped beds.

“But – just the other day there were trees here, and the spiral of the rock garden...why did you ch...” Rey's eyes widened, as her mind caught up with the circumstances. Ben beamed.

“You're giving me my own space in the garden?!” she gasped. His sweet hazel gaze was an arresting, love-struck sight.

“You may grow whatever you wish here. Consider it a space to experiment and craft with your abilities as you desire.”

She was already bending down to unbuckle her shoes and leap into the plot, barefoot, before he'd even finished his sentence.

She turned circles, practically skipping about in the dirt, envisioning all the lovely plants she could create and how she'd use and divide the space, the beautiful, colorful garden dancing across her mind's eye in seconds. She hardly even noticed the winding, looping crop of yellow roses that burst life underfoot from her sheer joy, crushing them as she raced back into Kylo's arms, leaping and kicking her feet up.

“I love it!!” He lurched back, nearly dropping her in surprise, even as his yelp melted into a laugh. “It's absolutely wonderful! Thank you!” Her kiss was a smacking, wet thing, but he embraced it fully and let it carry off his racing heart to parts unknown.

“You're most welcome, my darling,” he hummed, rubbing her nose against hers, a soft brush that still managed to make her giggle every time. He set her back on her feet, bending to pick up her shoes and carry them in the hand that didn't jump at the opportunity to hold hers.

“I did think it was a rather brilliant and unconventional idea to gift you a garden...” Rey rolled her eyes at his smoldering, proud grin, as they made their way back to the front doors.

“Okay, your lordship, no need to pat yourself on the back _that_ much!” He chuckled, boisterous and loud, forgetting to don his helmet in his zeal, though they were back in the sight of the guards again.

Rey grimaced at the threshold, taking note of her muddy toes.

“Maybe jumping in the dirt wasn't the best idea after all...Stars, now what?” Kylo was already grinning wolfishly, even as he passed her shoes back to her and bewildered her.

“Now...I get to carry you upstairs!!”

Her indignant squeal was music to his ears as he gathered her up in his arms like the bride she was. She flailed a bit, kicking and yelling that he set her down immediately, but she was quick to lose her fight – this _was_ the best solution after all. Soon enough, he managed to sweeten the arrangement even more as he learned how to steal kisses from her as he walked, arms supporting her back and curled under her knees, her arms looped affectionately around his neck. She tried to dart away from this too, at first, her lips pressed into a hard line. But, unfortunately, she _did_ love him, and he had the uncanny ability to make her heart swoon and her mind fall into sweet delirium with his soft, gentle lips.

He deposited her at the entrance to her bathroom with one last warm kiss that made her pout at their brief parting.

“I'll see you later for dinner, my love?” he asked. Rey sighed.

“I suppose, if I _must_...” He dissolved into chuckles at her sarcasm, and dissolved even further as she teased him with an affectionate kiss that made him wish it was night already and he had an evening of kisses and cuddles and whispered words of love to look forward to, not an afternoon of meetings with the dull-as-dirt Trade Federation.

“And a dance?” he blurted out, longingly, as she pulled away. Her endearing flush was answer enough.

“Dinner and a dance, you have my word.”

“I'll hold you to that,” he murmured, stealing just one last peck before she turned pink, squealed and shut the door on him, shooting back _I love you!_ across their bond as an after-thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	30. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following a happy dinner & dance date, Kylo and Rey retire for the evening.
> 
> Curiosity and heated kisses encourage the pair to explore one another and become more comfortable with intimacy and each other's bodies.
> 
> Later, in the dead of night, a dark warning frightens Kylo awake.

The Gods of the Ethereum were kind. It seemed to Kylo that he blinked and the meetings were over, no major fights between rival groups to speak of. At least, today.

When he changed into fresh clothes for dinner, buttoning up a burgundy velvet jacket, he just caught sight of her emerging from her room, the silver pleats of her evening gown swirling in her wake. His heart quickened in delight and he all but sprinted down the stairs to the dining room. The angelic vision that greeted him inside did not disappoint.

Earl Tyranus presided over their dinner that night, looking bored and disinterested the whole way through, allowing Kylo to stare at his fiancé unabashedly and without distraction, which suited him just fine – even though Rey kept yelling across their bond to him that it was _just a dress!_ And _I don't look a bit like a Seraph!!_ But between the silver, silken evening gown with its flirtatious sweetheart neckline, and the dark, alluring way she'd painted her eyes, how could he not admire her? She asked mildly about his meetings and he supplied answers that clearly conveyed just how tedious and dull the whole affair had been, prompting Rey to pick up her pace, finishing up her meal so she could help relieve a bit of his stress from the day with a dance. Her selfless intentions clear in the Ethereum, he flushed at her sweetness as they claimed the Rose Quartz Ballroom for themselves (excusing Tyranus' shadow by the door).

Perhaps a bit of stress-relief was what she had intended, but after a single fast and fun Foxtrot, slow, sweet waltz after slow, sweet waltz played for the remainder of the set on the music player, and she found she was drifting closer and closer to her fiancé's chest in their hold. Finally, she gave up on her hopes of making the dance an energetic affair and gave in to his hopeful gaze, setting her head on his shoulder, cheek warm on his chest, as they mildly swayed on the spot. Maybe it was just that the servants had specifically lit fewer candles in the largely-decorative candelabras, but the warm, romantic half-light had an even more enchanting effect than usual on her docile heart.

That, and Ben was looking down at her, eyes filled with love, glimmering golden from the candlelight. He bowed his head and snuggled her hair, making her breathe out a giggle as her heart ballooned with warmth.

“I positively adore you, sweetheart,” he breathed, kissing her crown.

“As do I you, my love,” she whispered, pulse fluttering with bliss and happiness.

“I think it's time we retired for the night. Regrettably, my docket is _packed_ tomorrow,” he groaned, hugging her waist a hair closer, his displeasure clear.

“Hmmm, well, I would hate to be responsible for you not getting a good night's sleep,” she hummed, and they parted only long enough to exchange a customary bow and curtsy, linking arms as they ambled from the room and wandered back up to their suites.

There was a question blatantly dancing about his hazel eyes two turns before they reached their bedrooms, but he didn't give it voice until he released her at her door.

“Would you like to join-” She answered him with a kiss.

“Yes, I would,” Rey said, a little breathlessly. “I'll just be a minute.” His smile was a tender, wonder-filled thing.

“Take as much time as you need, my love.”

Still, Rey sprinted about her suite in an excited rush, yanking out the hair pins and clips that had held up her elegant bun, shimmying out of the evening dress, scrubbing off her makeup, tucking away her ring and armband, and fussing over a fitting pair of pajamas. The soft green set she settled on had a t-shirt top and knee-length pants.

She wasn't so afraid of showing skin now, she found, contentedly. After all, it wasn't the first time they were sharing a bed, and she knew their boundaries were clear.

She crossed to his room, and before she could notice his absence, Kylo had swept her up in his arms and began to trace the floor with her.

“Kylo!!” she laughed, taken by surprise, but delighted nonetheless. In dark pajamas quite similar to those she'd seen before, he lead her in an orbit across his sizable bedroom, dancing figures as elegantly as if they were dressed to the nines at an Imperial gala. After so much time spent in his arms in this way, Rey's steps were perfect and practiced, and she felt completely at ease with him, trusting him, feeling delighted and warm and safe.

...And the things the snatches of his smile she caught in the dark, did to her heart...

Eventually, the back of her legs hit the bed and they tumbled onto his mattress, giggling like children. When his laughs had slowed and ebbed away, an easy smile took its place and he flicked his fingers to command the shadows to draw the covers out and over them. With that same, adoring, crooked smile on his face, he scooted closer to her, so that he almost aligned with her body as he lay on his side. Rey practically felt herself glowing with joy.

“Stars, what does that look mean?” she murmured, teasing, turning onto her side to face him. She leaned affectionately into his touch when his hand came up to stroke her cheek.

“It means a great many things, most of which I cannot pin down...” he sighed, presence swooning and sopping with love in the Ethereum.

“Gods, you can be melodramatic...” Rey sighed, prompting a hearty chuckle to vibrate against her lips as his warm mouth searched hers and the world seemed to vanish for a moment.

_Than I'll settle with I love you, very much, my darling..._

She hesitated for the tiniest moment, then deepened the kiss, relenting to her ardor.

_Ben...I love you so much, too, my sweet,_ she murmured, fingers finding their place of belonging in the darling, curled ends of the locks at his nape. He hummed tenderly and the sound filled her up.

_Oh, my dearest..._ he put a bit more pressure behind his next kiss, his breath starting to huff against her lips. _You've arrested me, so completely. I can't recall a solitary thing ever bringing me such joy..._

She smiled against his lips at that.

_Surely, there must be_ some _thing else?_

He sighed.

_Maybe piloting a ship as it breaks through a planet's atmosphere, but that's the long and short of it._ His tongue adoringly swept her bottom lip and warmth rocketed into her stomach.

_Sweetheart, with you I feel like I_ am _flying!_ she gasped with want, gripping his neck more tightly, and he had to rip away from her to catch his breath, though his hands stayed right where they were, one cupping her neck, one wrapped around her waist.

“May I touch you?!” he heaved, and her gaze darted to his, pupils so dark and large, they seemed to eclipse his hazel irises.

“What?” He caught his breath and explained.

“I must confess, my lady, I _have_ been fantasizing about you,” he said, blushing crimson as the butterflies in her stomach flocked and swarmed, bringing a fierce, flattered blush out of her and making his lips twitch in a slight smile. “Unprompted, in my dreams. But the visions of intimacy have sparked a fire within me I doubt I will be able to truly douse completely – it burns so hot and fierce...”

“Kylo...” she breathed, hands drifting down to grasp his shoulders, forehead resting against his as her body flooded with desire.

“By all means, refuse if the concept discomforts you and I'll merely hold you and kiss you chastely until we drift off...” he swallowed, burgeoning his hope “But, if you let me, I'd like to...to worship your body with gentle caresses, exploratory, and slow. You needn't remove any clothing and we can stop at any time...”

Her pulse was racing, but there wasn't a bit of fear behind the staccato beat, just excitement and heated happiness. She would have answered, but as his gaze grew unfocused and drifted, clearly struggling with his words, she let Kylo finish his piece first.

“I just wish to know the body of the woman I love a bit better, and she may familiarize herself with mine as well, if she desires to...” he whispered.

_Stars..._

She leaned in and kissed him, ardent and slow, letting him feel her permission in the act, but parting nonetheless to voice her allowance out-loud, leaving no room for confusion.

“You may touch me, Kylo...” she breathed, her body feeling like a small coal-fire. His exhale was shuddering and hesitant, so to reassure him further that she wanted this too, she reached for his wrists, and brought his hands up to gently rest on her chest.

His breath came out as a huff, not one that she could cleanly place as a laugh or gasp, and his eyes were desirous and beautifully dark. He grasped her with a bit more certainty, his hands cupping her breasts, softly getting a feel for their weight and pillowy form, thumbs brushing over her nipples.

Rey's blood seemed to be zipping through her body in a rapid, continuous stream, her body an eager, excitable live-wire. Her every sense seemed to be more alert and aware, Kylo's tender ministrations producing a ticklish sensation in her body, and maybe a hint of pleasure too.

Though her heart hammered against her ribs, the rest of her body seemed to relax under his touch.

“...Okay?” he breathed, a quiet, nervous word, as his fingers gave one last slight squeeze and began to massage downward.

“Perfectly fine, my love,” Rey whispered, shedding a smile. His nerves seemed to melt away, his expression taking on a reverent, tender quality. Rey's fingers twitched at the sight, but then, courageously, she reached for his chest as well, tracing the muscles she was already familiar with, treasuring his flame-heart. He hummed with pleasure, enjoying the delicate strokes of her hands.

His wide palms drifted over her strong stomach, skimmed lovingly over her hips as she drooled over the strength of his chiseled abs, Kylo laughing as she felt him up.

“Ticklish?” she grinned, and Kylo tried to bite back his dead-giveaway smile. “I don't mean to make you laugh, my love. I just deeply admire your incredible, delicious abs...” she said, biting her bottom lip and making him grin with pride.

“Funny you should say that...” He seized her rear and squeezed, making her yelp in surprise. “I love _this_ for the same reasons!” he said, his chortle wicked. She gave him a playful slap, but let him continue his exploration without fear, even as her face burned with her blush.

It felt different than it had before, their intimacy – good, safe, comforting even. Knowing that all he wanted to do was feel her made all the difference, and made the flipping and clenching of her stomach a sensation that she could feel and revel in, instead of look out for as a warning sign.

His hands changed direction upon drifting to her knees, turning around and worshipping her thighs, stroking and lightly grasping her supple flesh.

“Kylo...” she breathed, breath quickening. His hands flew from her, held up in surrender. “No – it's okay, I'm just...” she sighed, running her hands down her face. “You're so tender and affectionate,” She snorted with a laugh. “No man has ever desired to stroke my thighs before...” He grinned.

“Well, my lady, I'm proud to be the first...May I continue?” Her smile was incandescent.

“Yes...”

As he, playful and gentle, felt her up, Rey let her hands drift lower to, inspecting her fiancé's thighs and legs. His amused chuckle prompted her to take her revenge, finding his ass as pert and taught as her own, if a bit smaller.

His jump of surprise made it rather hilarious too.

“My impish lady...” he griped, smiling.

“I couldn't resist,” she confessed, making his smile grow sheepish. Drawing her knee up above her waist, his fingers adored her legs and feet, grazing them with a soothing massage as well, making her blush only deepen, not so much from embarrassment as wonder and love.

Rey allowed herself to indulge in an exploration of his strong, protective arms as well, a sensual pursuit that only lasted a brief minute, until their arms quickly became a tangled mess, making them dissolve into laughter.

“Sorry!” she giggled.

“Quite alright, my lady!” he chuckled, Rey's hands tracing back up his forearms to disentangle themselves as he held her thigh-

When they alighted on something hard.

Rey gasped in surprise and ripped her hands away, Kylo separating himself from her too. His expression fell quickly, becoming sullen and so ashamed that Rey immediately began stuttering an explanation.

“No, no! Kylo, sweetheart – I was just surprised! Everything's fine!” she said, swiftly shifting back into his arms, grasping his shoulders. His sigh of relief was massive.

“Oh stars...I thought – well, I guess it doesn't matter what I thought...” he said, his grin still wavering and a bit embarrassed.

But it was nothing compared to way Rey's face turned crimson when morbid curiosity and a new shock of yearning desire consumed her brain. And, far from causing her terror and doubt, she voiced her desires immediately, trusting them with him, and trusting them herself.

“Can I touch it?” she whispered, and Kylo seemed to freeze. “Just to know how it feels?” she amended, for clarity. He opened and closed his mouth several times before his tongue unglued itself from the roof of his mouth.

“I...I suppose so – if you're sure...” Her heart took off, pounding again. She grinned sheepish, lifting her palm above the sheets.

“Guide my hand? I don't want to...squeeze anything that's sensitive too hard, if you catch my drift?”

He blinked at her, grinning like a fool, and bent his hand to kiss her hand, clasping her wrist.

“My love, you can't be real...” She laughed.

“I assure you, I am! I'm also a virgin who knows little about the opposite sex, so...” He bit his lip and took her hand down under the comforter, letting her fingers glide over his stomach to ground her, so it was no great shock when they grazed over the hard, prominent bulge in his loose, cotton pants. He lightened his grip on her her hand, fingers gradually drifting away, as she grew accustomed to the feel of his heated, thick length, her smile curious and joyful. She groaned, a very nervous sound as her fingers idly stroked over his member.

“What?”

“Damn the stars, you _are_ huge...” He snorted.

“I don't know about _that_ , my love-”

“Fuck, how will you fit?”

“ _My lady!_ ” he exclaimed, surprised by her crass language, but softening to answer her question. “Very slowly, and with ample practice and preparation...” he said, pecking her forehead and making her melt.

“That'll be quite an adventure, getting to know each other so...” she murmured, a blushing mess as her fingers grazed over him again, soft and tender.

A low moan, seemingly pulled from the center of his very being, wormed its way out of his throat at the bit of pleasure she stirred in him. Rey's face flared and she pulled away.

“Sorry – I was just – I'm sorry! I didn't mean to excite you...” she groaned with chagrin. But his placid expression conveyed his feelings clearly, before he even spoke.

“There's nothing to forgive, my lady. You are-” he gasped with awe “You are truly heaven-sent, my darling.”

“Oh stars, please!” she laughed “I'm still going to be rubbish at sexual business for a while, yet.” His eyebrows waggled, suggestive.

“Not if we practice often...” She smacked his shoulder, gasping indignantly. “Kidding! I'm kidding! When you're ready, my sweet, not a moment sooner...This was...” he burrowed into his pillow, his expression dreamy “This was wonderful...”

Then she was biting her lip again, confusing him further.

Her right leg lifted, knee hooking over his hip and shocking him anew.

Her smile was timid, earnest...gorgeous.

“You can touch me, too...” He didn't even possess the strength to ask if she was serious this time, he just blinked at her, mute. Thus, she lead his hand, as he'd lead hers, if a bit more slowly. But her smile didn't fade as she trailed him down her stomach...and the expression of passion and peace that washed over her when his hand had come to rest, cupping her clothed, warm sex...

He didn't think he could feel so aroused and adored all at once, but there it was.

He gulped.

“Can I...can I feel around, a little?” he stuttered, not wanting to break the feeling of the sacred fragility they'd made. She nodded, smile half-hidden by her pillow. His fingers movements were so slow, so soft, she barely felt them. But on the second, and even more so on the third pass, his fingers were bolder, more sure, getting a feel for her warm lips. That confident stroke over her center, so venerating and sweet that it stirred arousal in her, made a tiny moan float from her mouth.

She slapped her hand over her face and Kylo froze.

“Oh Gods...” she groaned, presence drenched in embarrassment.

“Shhhhhhhh...” he breathed, pressing a kiss to head as he drew his hand away, moving it to hold the small of her back. “It's okay, my lady, don't fret. It's perfectly natural to make noise-”

Her head fell against his shoulder, the sound in her throat half-laugh, half-sob.

“But it was just one touch...how can I – ugh...” she said, muffled by his shirt. He rubbed her back, adoring.

“I think you already know the answer, Rey...” She didn't answer immediately, but when she did, the smooch she planted on his neck made him grin like a fool.

“Yes, you're right, I do.” She nuzzled his neck and he ascended to the Ninth Heaven.

“I love you so much, my darling. I'm ecstatic about all of this – your love, your affection, your companionship, your desire for me...it's truly thrilling...” She grinned against his neck.

“I am too, Ben. I'm...I'm so grateful for your patience, and your understanding. Rest assured...give me some time and...” she giggled “I'm sure before long, our desires will be aligned.” He reached up to turn her chin and kiss her lips, firm and sweet.

He was laughing – maybe even almost crying.

“I'm elated, my sweet. Beyond words, even.” She gave him a soft peck, making sure to imitate his brush against her nose, his presence lighting up like a supernova in response.

“I look forward to the day I'm brave enough to want you completely...” she murmured, and he gasped, amazed, even as he twitched with excitement.

“Sorry,” she cringed, “that was probably the worst thing to say to help you to relax...”

“Probably.” She grimaced.

“Will you be okay?”

“Just give me a minute to think about boring Nightmare doctrine and the passages of scripture I had to memorize in my youth, and rest assured, I'll soften up.” Her moan of a chagrined laugh into her palm was adorable. She let him be while he did just that, and when his body had come down from its excited high, and his blood redistributed into the rest of his body, he pulled her flush against them.

Her surprise lasted only a second until she realized she wasn't about to be poked.

She melted into his embrace, his body warmth affecting her almost like a sedative.

“Goodnight, my dearest,” she murmured, cuddling in close to his chest, hands wrapping around his neck again and playing idly with his hair as she started to nod off. He hummed in peaceful delight, just letting himself feel and float. “I love you...” she mumbled, lethargic, before her breathing turned slow and even.

“And I love you, my Rey...” he whispered against her hair, drifting off to sleep in a matter of minutes, his palms resting, secure and warm, on her back.

~*~*~*~

It was like a prick, at first. A scab to pick at, a stubborn thorn, a forgotten name, persistently followed in an effort to recall it.

Something was hanging in the deep, deep dark, like the most silvery, faint, candle flame, and he couldn't reach it, couldn't understand it. He just knew he had to get at it.

So he pursued. Reached.

The light floated off.

Dammit, get back here. He took a step, and another, grasping, lunging.

No. Too slow. Too clumsy.

He tried to call the shadows to reach for him, but they gave no answer. That was his first, his only, red flag. The shadows were like loyal hunting dogs – they never disobeyed him, never refused, they were his most loyal pack.

And, as he turned on the spot, bewildered at the resistant, curling shade, he didn't catch it when the guttering silver light fluttered out.

The roar crashed against his ears.

There was no build, no warning. One moment, peaceful emptiness.

The next he was screaming, curled up on the floor, begging for an end.

It was exactly as he had remembered when he was young. The visceral fear of that wall of sound, the blood-curdling mixture of tortured animals, sickening snapping and tearing and breaking of bodies, the suffering of those innocent and damned, wailing and begging without hope of reprieve, that had kept him in check for much of the beginning.

But then it had dulled over time. The sonic boom was merely an illusion, the deep dark manifested into personified life. And in embracing his Inferi magicks, he had learned to control it. He had made the nature of the ripping, tearing, sinuous, roiling darkness his servant.

That control had fled from him, entirely.

And out of the roar, in the unending noise, his horror-ridden, weeping brain perceived a gravely, furious voice it couldn't have heard – his ears were ringing too much to hear.

_KYLO...!_

Kylo sat up in bed with a gasp, shoulders trembling, arms barely holding him up. There was the barest sheen of sweat covering his body, and his shadow-tinged skin pulsed darkly in warning, raw and strong with his fear.

Why?! Why now, what did it mean, what could he possibly want, what in the Thirteen Hells had he -

“Kylo...?” The slight whisper made him still. As Rey moved about the bed to sit by his side and examine him, he remained impassive and still. He didn't meet her eyes.

“I didn't mean to wake you, my lady-”

She grasped his face, insistent but tender, and lifted his eyes to meet hers.

“Firstly, it's the Sacred Hour – I would have woken regardless.” Even an idle glance at the clock on his nightstand confirmed this for him. “Secondly, you're a fool if you don't think a Duster is going to recognize what's wrong in a _second_.”

She sat on her knees and threw her arms around his shoulders, holding him so soothingly he caved in an instant, arms enfolding her too as his head came to rest against hers.

“I'm here, my love. The nightmare is over and I'm here,” she whispered, and he could've wept. All he could manage at the moment was a grateful whimper, prompting her to grip him tighter. He held on until only the barest discomfort from the nightmare remained, and his heart found peace again. Eventually, a vague wave of exhaustion washed over him, and he pulled her back down with him, laying on his side, still with the beautiful creature in his arms.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“There's not much to tell,” he breathed, chasing away the dark memories by cuddling against her hair in his usual fashion, nose burrowing into her soft locks. “There was darkness. And noise – ear-wrenching, unending, horrible noise.”

“Oh, my love...” she cooed, leaning back to press a kiss to his temple “I'm so sorry, that sounds terrible. But you're awake, and I'm here now. I can help chase those dreams away.”

His heart couldn't have been more full of affection – it was a physical impossibility. Still though, he had to be honest.

“I had dreams like these before...before I...before I left my uncle's care...” he muttered, and that was enough for Rey's eyes to dawn with understanding. Still, she didn't soothe him with more empathy or cuddles, nor did she pity him. She merely nodded with a grim expression.

“I see. Even still, I imagine you didn't have a Duster at your disposal to help your troubled mind at night.” He sighed.

“It is worth a try.”

Rey's hands left him, and she began to rub her palms together in the space between their chests, working up to a rapid pace, the gold dust gathering there with ease.

“A calm, restful, dreamless sleep, to help chase away the lingering, bad feelings...” His smile was slight, but it was there.

“I trust you, my lady. You needn't clarify your prescription.” She shrugged.

“Force of habit, or nature, at least. I don't often have an awake recipient, but when I do, I like to let them know what to expect. Ready?” she said, holding up her dusty palms, specks of the gold dust already drifting onto the comforter. He nodded and she blew the dust cloud into his face, the substance quick to settle and be absorbed by his skin.

To her surprise, he didn't even sneeze.

Kylo blinked blearily.

“Yes...that'll do the trick...” he slurred, and she couldn't help but giggle.

“My, my, what a strong force of will you have to resist my magicks!”

“Not...for long...” he said thickly, collapsing against her shoulder. She hummed, hands smoothing over his back, stroking his shoulders and gently massaging his spine.

“Rest, my dear. I'll see you in the morning...”

Within five breaths, he was snoring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	31. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes.
> 
> A conversation brought on by training leaves Rey feeling rather distressed.
> 
> Ben gives her a courtship gift.
> 
> Another nightmare is the last straw for Rey. She resolves to take matters regarding Kylo's fealty to Snoke into her own hands.

The days stretched on and resolved themselves into a comfortable routine. Their hours were filled with walks about the garden where they forgot their chaperones existed, delicious candlelit-dinners in the evenings, dancing by dusk or starlight in the glittering ballrooms in trailing, jewel-toned gowns, and periodic, fervent training.

More often than not, Rey curled up next to her fiancé at night, or he clambered into her bed. Though his duties as the Emperor's Hand still demanded his attention – including at least one tense visit, where Kylo briefed his Knights for a mission and sent them on their way – they made time to simply be together. The moments began to feel made, rather than stolen; kisses at dawn, murmurs of affection when they danced, cuddles during the Sacred Hour, and further exploration of all the sweet flavors and tangy notes to their heady, loving cocktail.

For all the delights of adoring one another after dark, however, sleeping side by side meant waking in no shortage of awkward positions, invading each other's space, limbs akimbo and necks cricked, and sleepwear getting drooled on. And, every few days or so, Kylo would be another dreadful nightmare that Rey was loathe to witness. It was a painful sight, her love turned so shuddering and cold, and she was always more than willing to coddle and cast him back to peaceful sleep.

It also meant an education and acclimation to Ben's morning wood. But, after the laughter-filled, flushed explanation that it was just a sign of increased testosterone (normal, following deep sleep) and healthy blood circulation, not an indication of arousal, the occasional prod at her hip or nudge at her stomach in the morning became its own odd reassurance.

He was still there by her side, totally comfortable with her presence.

That, and it encouraged Rey that, at least, once the stirrings of her desire took to consistent kindling and roared, his system would be more than ready and able. In the mean time, she educated herself as Ahsoka instructed, adjusting to the contraceptive pills and discovering all the secret nooks and crannies of her body, allowing herself to enjoy the roiling, rocketing sensations of pleasure and orgasm more than she had previously. It was for the sake of research, after all. In that light, it felt permissible, if not necessary, to find unabashed enjoyment in it.

She found niggling fantasies of her fiancé would slip into her addled mind during these research sessions. At first, they almost served as guilty turn-offs, but after she stopped scolding herself about them, and let the mental pictures come and go as they pleased, imaginings of his bare chest pressed to hers, or his fingers imitating her own actions, or even an amorous first union, only hitched her passions higher, made her releases bigger.

That, and the discovery of her G-spot. Thirteen Hells – she almost had to consider the point magical. One release from that, and she could just keep going and _going_.

The thought of actually lying with her fiancé was gradually becoming less and less terrifying, and that was a wonderfully exciting thing.

Their playful rapport also evolved as the months passed, bleeding into their tussie-mussie exchange. It became something of contest of flustering – who could give the sweeter message while still being sincere?

It had begun innocently enough, with Rey deciding to deliver first in the day, just after waking. It was modest, pale pink rose, signifying her joy after a particularly delightful, head-spinning Sacred Hour spent in his embrace. The mauve petunia she received in response befuddled her briefly, until she referenced her book again, recalling that the bloom meant more than “anger and resentment.” He'd declared “your presence soothes me,” and her heart had swooned massively.

Wanting to find something equally beautiful and sentimental, Rey settled on red rosebuds the next day, calling her dearest “pure and lovely.” He'd been a blushing mess after receiving that one, barely able to meet her gaze at dinner without his presence becoming a wash of bewildered fondness. His last-minute response of a lavender rose, endearingly proclaiming him “enchanted,” had her leaping into his arms and kissing him senseless.

From then on, it was war. Not of a relentless, constant sort, but a carefully calculated series of staged attacks, intended to cause maximum damage.

Ben's white “It's heavenly to be with you” lily had her feeling weak at the knees, but her tactfully returned yellow “I'm walking on air” lily put him in his place, in spite of his joyful chuckle that might have lead an on-looker to believe otherwise.

And while Rey's “You've made my life complete” lily of the valley stumped Ben for more than a day, when he finally responded with a primrose, boldly stating “I can't live without you,” Rey buried herself face-down in bed, screaming into her pillow with delight, and refusing to come out of her room for him, resulting in his shadowy intrusion, and a truly brutal pillow fight (at least, concerning the exploded state of the pillows in the aftermath).

Regardless, a truce was finally declared to ground them again, marking a return to only the rare gardenia or calla lily.

Most helpful in distracting Rey from these periods of intense conflict and dizzyingly high emotions was her garden. Nothing relaxed her or steadied her more than sinking her fingers into the dirt and letting her sunlight burst and scatter about the Ethereum, bringing all variety of plants to life.

She was more willing to cycle flowering plants, changing those small, decorative crops every so often. But, there were long-term pieces she was developing as well, a winding fig tree, a delectable, scraggly berry bush, a smattering of cacti, a nursery of adorable jonquils.

There was nothing Rey wasn't willing to try to grow, and she always – to Kylo's eyes – managed to coordinate the groupings of flowers in gorgeous and unexpected ways. There were no clean rows, but there were clear categorical spaces for different species, at least at the start, before the crops were allowed to wander and spread, breathe into the space.

He was shocked to find she could nurse a tree and cacti to life in the same plot. And he never would have guessed blue larkspur would have popped so brilliantly beside tiger lilies and deep-green ferns, but there was the beautiful harmony, tested and true in Rey's garden.

Few things filled his being with such delight as leaving behind his stuffy office at day's end, and coming out to find her, elbow deep in the dirt, crafting and creating with a satisfied smile setting fire to her eyes.

There were flaws and hiccups. Wearisome days where Kylo simply had to shuffle to bed and collapse and rest alone, or where Rey pushed herself a bit too hard when gardening and needed to sleep it off, or ice her wrists, or be sent to the med-bay to have cactus needles removed from her palms.

But there were moments of true bliss too, utter joy and total peace, and they savored each one. It seemed as if this was the new rhythm of their lives, unchanged and constant.

How little they knew...

“Well, my love, you've mastered exploiting weak points sure enough,” Kylo winced, rolling out the tightness in his shoulder carefully, as his solar plexus still hurt like Hell from her well-placed elbow. She grimaced, reaching to heal his wound.

“No, no, no, darling, I'll be fine,” he chuckled. “Besides, it leads nicely into our next lesson, learning to build a tolerance to your own weak points.” Rey cocked her head, befuddled, until Kylo snapped his fingers, and the shadows readily pounced at his command to douse the lights.

“Learning to how to fight blind is quite the useful asset, for instance,” he murmured, circling her, if the sound of his traveling, low voice was any indication. Finding her vision pointless in the blackness, Rey shut her eyes and strained her ears. A _brush_ along the floor warned her, and she dodged Kylo's blow with his dark staff, invisible now, by inches. She managed a successful parry, a glancing hit, and a block, before he struck at her gut and all her breath left her in a rush.

She dropped her knees, heaving brokenly.

The lights flew back on, and his face was inches from hers, eyes wide and panicked.

“My lady?” She waved him off.

“Just – winded.” Still, his brow twisted in obvious agony. His hands twitched at his sides, but stayed planted where they were.

“My desire to help you counts for little I suppose, when I can't use healing magicks...”

Rey coughed a bit, and managed to get her lungs back in working order.

“Really, sweetheart, I'll be fine. I've endured worst in past spars.” Kylo rose with a pained grimace.

“I fear I may have to get Phasma to conclude most of your training. At this point, even in simulated combat...I cannot bring myself to harm you...” Rey stood on tip-toe to cradle his face between her palms, her essence like the sun parting the clouds in the Ethereum.

“Then you have a good heart indeed,” she whispered, planting the tiniest of kisses on his nose, flustering him. “Better than mine, at any rate,” she said, settling on her heels again, shifting her palm to his smarting solar plexus and working her magick.

“I don't know that I would call not pulling your punches a sign of extraordinary kindness, darling.”

She jabbed a finger into his recovered ribs, making him jump out of ticklishness rather than pain.

“What is it then?” she grinned.

“Extraordinary strength of will,” he said, eyes doting “Besides, I've been slipping in that piece of my combat skill as well – I could stand to take a few hits.”

“Stars, you did that sort of thing with the Knights of Ren?” Rey asked, stretching out her worked muscles while he deposited his staff onto the weapons rack, her starlight one flashing out of existence.

“With the Knights, the Imperial navy, and under my sire's tutelage,” he said, over his shoulder. Rey's heart quivered.

“...The first of those two I can understand – they're military organizations, everyone is pushed to their Mystical limits. But Emperor Snoke put you through pain-resistance training?”

“Yes. Of course. I needed to reach my potential as a fighter,” he said, with ease, expression calm as they exited the training room.

Still, her worried mind would not still.

“But, Kylo, why would your sire need to do such a thing...what did pain-resistance entail?”

“Sustaining injuries to my weak points and continuing to fight,” he threw out, hands clasped behind his back. Rey's brow raised with her frown.

“What? Like-”

“The points I taught you – solar plexus, in-step, nose, groin. Plus others as well, of course, fighting with a broken arm, an injured leg, bruised ribs, that sort of thing.” She'd now stopped in her tracks.

“What?”

“But – but Snoke's no general! What gives him the right-”

“But he was my master, Rey, my teacher in the Inferi arts. He did it to help me know what my body was capable of, how far it could go!”

Rey's mind snagged on a detail.

“...He did it? He...broke your bones?”

Now. Now, finally, something in Kylo's gaze darkened.

“Yes. It wasn't often that he requested some subservient educate me, after all.” Her hands came up to hold him, examine him, truly _see_ at him.

“Kylo...”

His gaze snapped to hers, brow creased.

“You needn't look so pained, Rey, I made it through just fine. My sire would never do anything life threatening, and such lessons were always spaced out to allow time for proper healing. Plus, I was given the best medical care-”

“Kylo, your sire _beat_ you and called it teaching!”

His expression was inscrutable. No confusion clouding his hazel eyes or anger sharpening them. Just a blank slate.

“You're proposing my sire _tortured_ me, Rey. That was simply not the case. I _saw_ what he did to those he truly tortured, the beheadings, dismemberings, and blood.” His swallow was a course, difficult thing. “I got the least of it. Truly. Don't pity me so.”

“But, my love, how can you worship him so when he hurt you?!”

“Rey-”

“NO! I'm not letting this go! How can you still call him 'sire', bow to his whims, respect him, when he hurt you and invaded your dreams?!”

He paled.

“Yes, I figured that out!! I read your poem! Who else could have sent such horrible dreams to you, invaded your subconscious with such thoughts except a Seer-!”

He darted out of her grasp, eyes burning.

“That's enough. Not another word about my Emperor, Rey, I mean it.” She couldn't recall when she had last heard so stern a tone of voice from him. It surprised more than it frightened. She reached into her memory, grasping at straws.

“It's not as if you didn't defy him in little ways before – what about Hux?” His expression turned sour, glowering.

“My love, I _wish_ I knew what became of him.” She started.

“What?!”

“The day we arrived on Mustafar, Hux disappeared, seemingly vanished from his cell. No matter who I've turned to, Matt Ferrari included, I've found neither head, nor tail of him. I suspect he'll run back to my sire, in time, pleading for a change in assignment. But until then, his whereabouts are a mystery,” he said, teeth gritted and expression justifiably pissed.

“It is cruel, vicious galaxy that allows such a horrid man to run free. I should have killed him when I had the chance.” Rey took a breath, and decided that she would need to take a more piece-meal approach: she couldn't turn Kylo from Snoke in a day.

It had taken this long to even get him to admit his sire was a monstrous man – months after the Emperor had attempted to murder her.

“I imagine you will get the opportunity. You or I.” His gaze calmed and he treated her to a soft kiss.

“I wouldn't wish for you to know the weight of a murderer's guilt, my love. Leave the burden of blood to me.” He took a deep breath. “And as for the pain-resistance, I don't regret a bit of it, my sweet Lady Rey. After all, now I can put those lessons to better use. I can sustain more pain and act as a shield from those who would bring you harm,” he breathed, nuzzling the top of her head, an action normally so sweet as to distract her from anything. Not so today, but she did let this moment bring an end to the conversation.

“Though I should hope you never have to bear pain for me, my dearest.”

“Of course not, my love.”

And with a peck on her head, they forgot, for a bit.

It was even easier to forget the unpleasantness of the conversation as they went their separate ways to shower after the intense work-out, since, when Rey emerged, she found an envelope with her name written on it in gorgeous cursive waiting for her on her desk.

She tore into it, pulse giddy, and before even reading a line, melted upon spotting the format of stanzas, and realizing this was his promised poem to her.

She read, positively enchanted.

_Maple-wood, golden_

_Sweet and clear,_

_Pure and fiery and bright are they_

_The dearest pair of suns in all the sky_

_I can recall a time_

_When they burned dark,_

_With an unnamable,_

_Fathomless hatred_

_Would not deign_

_A moment of kindness_

_Or softness_

_Or mercy_

_I remember acutely when they changed,_

_When I put your safety before my own_

_Curiosity eclipsed your warrior twins,_

_Quick to glare and pierce_

_There was a sudden softness there,_

_A willingness, a hope_

_From there,_

_Burst and collapse_

_I witnessed a lifetime pass within those suns_

_Fear and joy_

_Anger and strength_

_Kindness and peace_

_Sadness too_

_Terrible, heart-rending sadness,_

_That cleaved open my being,_

_And planted new seeds,_

_For the first time in a millennium_

_They took root_

_Quicker than algae,_

_Faster than runners_

_How my existence bloomed_

_I worked in service of those suns,_

_Hoping each day for a blinding smile_

_Bent the knee to protect that joy,_

_Though I'd resented bowing to any one soul_

_Examining the soft petals under a microscope,_

_Learning each change of heart and color intimately_

_Taking rage to pot_

_And raising it into compromise,_

_Reconciliation_

_How gravity seemed to bring my universe back into order,_

_With those two glorious suns at their center_

_Each star in place,_

_The planets aligned_

_I used to scoff at love_

_How could a tenuous, frivolous thing_

_Move mountains and tame seas?_

_Compel the world to burst into health and life and content?_

_One kiss_

_And I surrendered to love's mercy_

_This was the fruit of those precious seeds,_

_Full-grown, sun-sweetened, nourishing_

_And oh, how I savored the taste_

_Treasured each wondrous bite,_

_How I reveled in heaven-sweet juice,_

_And soft flesh that burgeoned my soul like nothing else_

_It is an impossible infinity to describe,_

_Not unlike the universe that birthed your light,_

_But I shall attempt a poor man's metaphor anyhow_

_You've consumed very being, encased it in your rose-vines_

_Ensnared and perfumed it with delightful, heaven-scent_

_Illuminated it with your light,_

_Revealing the winking reflection of my bits of hardened carbon_

_Completed the broken stanzas,_

_With words I could not have conceived of in solitude_

_And that singular_

_Bliss_

_The knowledge of that love,_

_Floods back to me,_

_Each time,_

_Affection fills your twin, chestnut suns,_

_Alight_

_At the sight of me_

Rey read it through twice, three times, absorbing each carefully chosen metaphor and elegant curve of his script, letting the words flood over her and drown her in love without care. They were so beautiful, sincere and doting and uniquely his...

She resisted the desire to clutch the paper to her chest with joy, leaving it behind to race across the way and hold him instead, leaned over his desk, hair still damp from his shower.

“I take it you liked it?” he asked, voice audibly shy and hesitant. She buried her face between his shoulder blades.

“I lack the words to describe just how much...” she whispered, and his presence glowed with pleasure. “And before you asked, yes, I adored every bit of sentimental, sweet drivel you put into it.” His chest shook with his laughter and she beamed.

“Good. I couldn't have written it without the soppy lines even if I had tried, darling!” he said, turning to hold her proper, at which point, she leapt into his arms and attacked him with kisses in thanks, sending his head reeling, body half collapsing against his desk, and prompting both of them to forget they hadn't eaten dinner yet for a good hour more.

~*~*~*~

_Ren..._ murmured a voice from the whispering darkness.

He whimpered, tossed, turned. _No. Please, stop._

The muttering rose to murmur, hissing, sharp, cruel. It contained every dark rumor he half-recalled from his youth, about his unnatural magicks, his resemblance to his grandfather, the way he was feared. His mother's and father's voices muttered those terrified phrases too, and they were the most audible in the piercing buzz, no matter how he covered his ears.

_My boy, you've forgotten, haven't you?_

_No. No master, I haven't, I-_

_What is that harlot doing to your mind? Your being? She's_ weakening _you, Ren. I'm only trying to keep you strong, as you always wanted. Have you forgotten so soon? How you wished to be untouchable, a Mystic of Darkness...a Man of Ash?_

The roar grew angry. The rejection, the hatred, the fear, compounded. It was in his head, his heart, the sound. He could no sooner silence his thoughts than drown out the noise.

He fell to his knees in the sinuous net of shadows, rolling on the floor, fetal, clutching his head.

It was wrong. So wrong. It hadn't been like this since his youth. He was the _master_ of this darkness now. How could it turn against him, attack him in his hour of need?

_Darkness only obeys me, you impudent boy!!_ his sire snapped, voice like a whip cracking across his back. He cried out in pain.

_It always has! Everything you know, I have taught you! Do you honestly think I granted you strength beyond my own?!_

The voices wouldn't stop, wouldn't give him room to breathe, the disgust and fear thick enough to choke on. He started to sob.

_No, he wasn't. He wasn't a monster. That wasn't true. A monster couldn't love, couldn't be loved._

Snoke's growl was agony incarnate, and that one noise pained him like his arm was being twisted out of its socket, glacially slow. He rocked back and forth on the floor, weeping, begging for an end.

_You'll thank me yet, my boy. This is what comes when you let your Dannan foolishness take hold, when you refuse the destiny of your bloodline, reject your strength._

The cacophony was ringing in his ears. Any louder, and he'd surely lose his hearing.

_You'd best start thinking with your head again, Ren, not your stupid heart and mindless cock. Forget this foolishness by the time I arrive, my boy. This is your last warning._

He awoke with scream, shooting up in bed. Two harsh breaths, and he buried his head in his hands and sobbed. Her arms encircled his shoulders, and he all but collapsed into her embrace.

“ _Shhhhhh_...it's okay Ben, I'm here now, sweetheart. I'm _here._ Nothing can hurt you, my love.” But even as Rey kissed away his tears, she knew he wasn't going to be alright.

His presence told the story his words could not. Snoke had hurt him, threatened him, wounded him. And some winding thread, quicksilver tainted blue with worry, told her it had something to do with her, with the kindness and love she had shown him.

His sire was torturing him for being in love it seemed, and it likely wasn't going to stop until the Emperor got what he wanted – a union made for power alone, loveless and cold. Her presence roared in fury, in defense of her fiancé.

How _dare_ he? How dare he attack his happiness? How could he do this and still call Kylo his son, like it was all for his own good?!

She needed to do something, she decided, adamant and fiery. She held him against her breast, laying side by side, Ben calmed by the beat of her heart, tears subsiding at last. She needed to sever the bond between Snoke and him, reveal the abuse for what it was.

Addressing it directly had failed miserably. She couldn't succeed from there. But a thought crossed her mind, as he affectionately snuggled her collarbone and made her blush.

Love had been a very effective way to help him before, why not now? Maybe she could solve one problem with another.

But he'd already raised his voice in fury at the suggestion of reuniting him with his parents. She would need to be discrete.

But it was a necessary evil, she determined, as he raised his head to kiss her gently, a thank-you, a reassurance his heart was calmed.

Likely the only way he'd stop respecting Snoke as a father-figure was by her showing him his own again, and revealing what he kind of a father he still could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	32. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets in contact with Ben's parents.
> 
> Kylo and Rey's relationship is tested.

The moment Kylo had to run to a conference call the following morning, Rey sprinted down to the second floor, and snuck along the hallway to Matt's tucked-away, back-room office. Her plan was a half-baked monstrosity, but she was losing the will to care.

Somehow, she would root through the Universal Database, and find a direct line to Han and Leia. From there, provided they answered an unknown caller coming from a Uni-Screen inside the Pumice Palace on Mustafar (and honestly, why wouldn't they, knowing it was their son's base of operations?), she merely had to convince them with tales only she and Kylo's parents would know, and the three-carat ruby sitting on her ring finger, that she truly was his fiancé, loved him sincerely, and beg them to come and visit and reconcile with their son.

This hinged a great deal on a love for their son she had only glimpsed in Kylo's memories, but it was enough to give her credence to hope.

Getting the access codes to allow them to land on Mustafar without being shot down was a matter for another day, but she had complete faith in Matt Ferrari's abilities, and loose adherence to rules and security standards.

Certainly, his unlocked office pointed towards that kind of character.

But then again, the Golem had never had reason to suspect intrusion into his private space before, especially not from a higher-up.

...Hence Rey's yelp of surprise and furious blush, upon finding Daisy and Matt plastered up against the wall, tongues plumbing the depths of each other's mouths, when she pushed open the door.

They shot apart, faces flaming.

“Uh! – um,” Matt coughed “Lady Rey, what are you – ugh, what do you need?” he stammered, attempting to smooth his incredibly messy hair and straighten his glasses.

Rey resisted the urge to burst out laughing, miraculously.

“...You know, I could just pretend I didn't see that. But...given that I'm in need of assistance, and I'm pretty sure Daisy's on-the-clock right now, and should be making lunch...”

The Frost Fae gasped and all but fell to her knees in front of her.

“ _Please-don't-report-me!_ ” she exclaimed in a rush, palms pressed together, pleading. Rey kept up the act, smirking playfully, though her gaze was kind as she grasped Daisy's forearms and drew her back up was enough to reveal the fallacy of her jest.

“I won't, provided Matt can get me the number of the direct line to the Queen of Chandrila – and both of you keep the whole thing quiet.” Daisy whipped around, staring at her significant other with round, pleading eyes.

Rey had to grin impishly at the sight of Matt's posture slumping, smile glowing, as he melted, no different than an icicle devolving into a puddle of water.

“How can I say 'no' to you, angel eyes?” he teased, though his tone was laced with a contradictory sweetness. Daisy practically flew to his arms, fixing him with another fierce kiss. Rey could only shake her head.

She'd never seen Daisy become so enthusiastic over anything.

Though she was tugging at his lips insistently, Matt managed to peel Daisy off of him, turning back to her.

“I imagine this is a 'don't ask, don't tell' situation, my lady? Or are we allowed to know the particulars behind your need to call the Queen of Chandrila?” he asked, seeming genuinely perplexed.

Huh. So he didn't know the true identity of his Lord, and judging by the same question in her eyes, neither did Daisy.

“If all goes well, I will give you a fuller picture of the situation later. For the time being, I just need the number.” Matt shrugged and rounded his desk, turning on his Uni-Screen, and beginning to type rapidly.

“The Queen of Chandrila...let's see then...Queen Leia Organa-Solo, correct?” he asked, eyes flicking back and forth between the bright blue screen and her. Daisy's brow furrowed deeply, shrewd as ever.

“I should hope this isn't a serious diplomatic matter, my lady. I'm unsure if you yet have the authority for such things, if you'll pardon my frankness,” Daisy said.

Rey was hopeless. She had to burst out laughing.

“I caught you two making out while on-duty, and you're asking for forgiveness for that?!” she exclaimed, between chortles. Daisy's pale cheeks dusted with pink, a half-smile blooming.

“Force of habit, my lady. One of us is still trying to maintain an air of professionalism.”

Matt's expression morphed fantastically from a neutral thing to a scorching glower to a wicked smirk, all in the span of five seconds.

Rey rolled her eyes to distract herself, having no desire to make out whatever Matt whispered in his partner's ear that made her flush bright red.

“So, not a diplomatic matter then?” Daisy continued, as if nothing had changed as all.

“No. Entirely personal.” She grew skeptical again. “Trust me, I'll explain in time.”

Matt brightened, his search clearly bearing fruit.

“Perfect. Naturally, the Queen has a number she uses to host audiences and hear her people's complaints. Hopefully, she's available today. Best of luck, my lady,” Matt said, stepping aside to allow Rey to take his spot behind his Uni-Screen, stopping to help Daisy straighten her servant's uniform and smooth out any creases, his gaze softening as she smiled, before moving to head out the door.

A thought shot through Rey's mind.

“All the staff have their own quarters, correct?” she asked, both pairs of eyes darting her way, surprised.

“Yes. Of course, my lady,” Daisy answered. Rey's expression turned sympathetic.

“And are you forbidden from entering any other than your own? Hence, making time for each other during work hours?”

“Something like that, my lady.”

Matt scoffed, scornful.

“Because, Gods forbid, any female staff get knocked up and can no longer work,” he snarled. Daisy nodded, grimly.

“If we were found out, we'd both be fired and black-listed, at bare minimum.”

Rey drummed her fingers on the desk, pensive.

“And I imagine birth control-”

“Is impossible to get. Because 'it is illegal for staff to fraternize with their co-workers'. _Fucking_ bastards...” Matt swore.

“So...If I were to talk it over with Kylo and arrange it so you could room together, it would only solve half of the problem?” Rey asked, musing over the question aloud too.

Matt's eyes grew wide, eyebrows shooting into his hairline. Daisy seemed to not know what to do with her hands, fluttering about like frantic moths, eyes bright with elation.

“My lady – I...you really – stars.”

“Lady Rey...you're serious?” Matt asked, jerking out of his stupor.

Rey shrugged.

“It's utter asteroid's lead. Sure, maybe a rule to prevent sleeping around is one thing, but when you two are clearly so happy together...yes,” Rey said, nodding to her herself. “You said it best, Matt. It's a rule made up by a bunch of patriarchal, dictatorial, fucking bastards. Why wouldn't I be serious?” Matt laughed, smile brilliant at her flippant cursing. Daisy closed the gap between them and clasped her hands, blinking back tears.

“Rey, taking down that policy alone...it's more than we could have hoped for.” Matt's smile fell.

“Still – there's no tolerance for a pregnant employee. And the palace's doctor's hands are tied legally as well. I don't know that a good word their way will do much,” he muttered, mussing his hair all over again in his frustrations.

Thinking rapidly over the books on botany and horticulture that had begun to populate her chambers in the past few weeks, Rey brightened further.

“There's always bitter carrots. They're a natural contraceptive.”

“Any idea where we can find them?” Daisy asked, with a half-hopeful grimace.

“I'll grow them for you,” Rey said, patting Daisy's hands. The Frost Fae was frozen with shock for moment. Then Daisy leapt into her arms, and Rey happily returned the hug, squeezing her shoulders.

“My lady...I don't think you understand how blackmailing works,” Matt said, his sarcasm dissolved by his obvious joy.

Rey guffawed with laughter.

“What can I say? I was never cut out to be ruthless Lady Emperor's Hand anyway,” she said, releasing Daisy so she could dry her eyes.

Matt grinned.

“Something tells me you were the exact Mystic to put his Lordship in his place, though...” Daisy swatted the gangly Golem, making him yelp in pain.

“That's enough out of you! Get back to work already – you've distracted us both long enough!” His chortle could be heard echoing all the way down the hall, as Daisy rolled her eyes and left with a curtsy.

Rey smiled as they went, cracking her knuckles and taking in a deep, deep breath, before she typed in Leia's number and hit the call button.

The line rang, three, four, five times, her anxiety hitching higher each time.

Maybe her efforts had been for nothing. Maybe they wouldn't answer at all.

Still, in a burst of level optimism, she planned her greeting in her head, straightening up and trying to look like a woman of authority who regularly called Queens.

Three more rings, and the video screen popped open.

“Hello? You've reached the Chandrilan Audience Line, how may I help you?” asked a severe, male servant, standing in front of an gilded, cream-colored wall, dressed in a crisp gray uniform, not unlike Kylo's servants.

“I am Rey Somnus, fiancé to the Emperor's Hand, Lord Kylo Ren. I'd like to speak to the Queen and King, directly. The matter concerns their son, Ben Solo,” she said, clear and to the point.

The servant visibly started, eyes widening.

“I...I'm sorry?” he stammered, clasped-hands-behind-his-back composure rapidly dwindling. Rey leveled her gaze at the man, imperious and firm.

“You are speaking to Lord Kylo Ren's betrothed. I am seeking an audience with the King and Queen of Chandrila, over a matter of dire importance, concerning their son and heir, Ben Solo. What must I do to prove my credibility, sir?”

“Ugh – what, erm-” the man was glancing back and forth between her and some distant point beyond the camera lens.

“Sir, I demand to speak to Queen Leia Organa-Solo,” Rey asserted, tone adamant.

“ _Your Majesty-!_ ” hissed the servant, running out of frame, frantic whispers just barely audible to Rey's ears. Her heart began to pound in earnest.

Were they really there, just out of earshot, a handful of steps from the Uni-Screen?

She took a breath for courage. She'd already done the hard part, getting through to Ben. If there was even half the kindness in Leia and Han's hearts that she had seen in Ben's head, this should be significantly easier.

All the same, when Leia and Han Solo drifted into the frame – the Queen dressed in an elegant gown of flowing periwinkle, graying hair pinned in elegant up-do fitting her status, the salt-and-pepper King-Consort in a more casual dress shirt, vest, and breeches, still made from luxurious fabrics of high-thread count – her heart seemed keen to beat out of her chest.

It was like they'd stepped right out of the _Children of the Stars Genealogy_ book Pryde had given her, perhaps with a few more years tacked on, but honestly, it was difficult to tell. Those portraits had been painted during their middle-age as well.

Rey swallowed and bowed her head. She couldn't very well properly curtsy sitting down, and anyway, she didn't quite trust her legs to hold her upright at the moment.

“Greetings your Majesties. It's an honor to meet you at last.” Any imperiousness from before had vanished. Her tone was high and thin. She was every bit the girl from Jakku in the face of this difficult situation.

Leia's brow became heavy with suspicion.

“Rey Somnus, you said?” She nodded.

“Yes, your Majesty. Though, as I've recently learned, and as you yourself know, my parents' birth names have long since been lost to history, even if their contributions to it have not been.”

Han's eyebrows shot up in recognition.

“The pair from-”

“ _Rogue One_ ,” Leia finished, nodding. “It's been many years, but I still remember them fondly.” Her brow creased in concentration. “Jarvis and Luna, was it – the last set of names they took on? How are they, Rey, dear?”

The brief flash of relief and joy at the term of endearment drowned in the ensuing dark pool of grief.

“Among the Ethereum's stars, for many years now,” she said, swallowing roughly. _Keep it together, Rey._

The light fled from Leia's eyes.

“My sincerest apologies, Rey.”

“It's in the past, your Majesty – I'm here to speak of the future,” Rey said, trying to wave away her sorrow and get the point at once.

Han's expression grew dour as he crossed his arms.

“Yes. You claim to know our son.”

“Han-”

“-To be engaged to him. Forgive me if we find this...hard to believe. The Emperor's Hand didn't seem the type to settle down, if the stories were true,” the former smuggler said, shrewdly. Rey grimaced.

“They weren't. But that's a separate matter.” She drew a breath, launching into her speech.

“I haven't known your son for very long, but in that brief time, I've seen a great change overcome him. The mask of the Man of Ashes, of Kylo Ren, slowly fell away, revealing the man and Mystic underneath.”

The Queen and King's expressions took on a desperate quality, though their skepticism still remained, their examination of her intentions careful and obvious.

“However, I've come to understand I alone can only do so much. Ben Solo is still plagued by the darkness he's always known, by the...influence of his master...” she said, hesitant and careful with her choice of words, while still attempting to make Snoke's manipulations clear. She prayed a line this important was encrypted and secure “And I think what he needs now is to repair bridges broken and burnt.”

She met the worried eyes of her future parents-in-law.

“It is my humble, imploring request, that you come to Mustafar, and speak to your son. About everything – your choices as parents, your reasons for sending his away, what caused the divide to grow betwixt you and him. Even if...even if there is simply no feasible way to...to make your family whole again, my dear-” she wavered at dropping the endearment by mistake, but doubled down and pressed on “my dear Ben needs closure like he needs oxygen. He is suffocating and dying without it, and it is my dearest wish to illuminate the darkness that has plagued him all his life, so that he may finally make his own choices,” she bit her lip, throat tightening “and be _happy_.”

She waited, as Han and Leia absorbed the flood of information, glancing at one another. The call became muted on their end, fast and frantic conversation breaking out silently, the servant clearly being dragged into it as well, seeing that Leia kept looking at something that was out of frame. Rey waited, knuckles white as she clasped her hands on Matt's desk.

It couldn't have been more than a handful of minutes before Leia spoke again.

“We can see well enough that you are, indeed, calling us from the Pumice Palace on Mustafar. And...based on how you spoke of him...I can see no reason to doubt your words – not as Ben's mother.” Rey dared to hope, fingers going numb.

“But as Queen, I must ask one question to give credence to the claim that you're truly my son's fiancé, and that...” Her expression became so grief-filled the sight nearly broke Rey's heart. “That my son has come back, even partially.”

She nodded.

“I understand, your Majesty.”

“If he'd reclaimed his old identity as Ben...there is one story he would have shared with you, without question.”

She glanced at Han, and the King-Consort posed his query.

“What does the term _Crystallus Plexippus_ mean to Ben?” he said, gaze steely, as it burned into her from the other side of the galaxy. But the scientific name was so familiar to her, the question so simple, that Rey couldn't help but shed the smallest smile.

She relayed the tale from Kylo's childhood, not missing a detail, with perfect clarity. By the conclusion, Leia looked to be filled with jubilant relief, and Han close to tears.

“It almost sounds too good to be true...” Leia murmured, lips pressed together in a bittersweet smile.

“With the Ethereum's Gods at my witness, it _is_ the truth, your Majesty,” Rey said, reflecting the Queen's grin. “In fact,” she said, smirking “the experience stayed with him, all his life, even after he left to become a Nightmare. Ben's personal transport is shaped like a butterfly and called _the_ _Plexip_.”

Han laughed, a singular bark so exactly like his son's, and the tears escaped his eyes instantly, tracing rivulets down his face. Leia reached across to her husband, gripping his hand in her own and shutting her eyes, overcome with emotion in her own, quiet way.

“So, how soon can we set a course for Mustafar?” asked Leia, tears glittering in her own eyes when she blinked them open again.

“As soon as you're able, your Majesty!” Rey grinned. But her expression fell, all the same. “There is something you should know first, before you depart...”

Han's brow became lined with confusion, Leia's with worry.

“What is it, my dear?” Rey sighed.

“Ben is...when he thinks of you, he's still...reflecting on his childhood, his past, the misunderstanding of his magicks – it still pains him. He's still angry about it all, furious that you sent him away. More than that...he doesn't know I'm making this call. That I'm inviting you.”

Han let out a growl of a sigh and stood, stalking out of frame. Leia's expression fell into sorrow.

“I see. But...would he want to speak to us, at all?”

Rey's expression turned firm.

“I'm positive by the time you arrived, there would be a way to get him to the discussion table. I know he's angry, and that there's much he's been repressing over the years, but he does care for both of you – even if his relationships with you were complicated and difficult. I'm certain there is a way.”

Leia's gaze turned grimmer still.

“We've tried in the past, Rey. We asked Luke to go as an envoy, we've tried meeting with him a few times ourselves. Each time, he ordered his troops to fire on us and we had to run. There wasn't an opportunity to even trade two words, much less a lifetime's worth of apologies.”

“This time it will be different, your Majesty. I'm sure of it,” she said, eyes boring into Leia's, the Queen's words filling her with fierce hope. The Queen drew a deep, deep breath, eyes shut in contemplation. Han wandered back slowly to the velvet covered bench they shared, settling himself on the edge of it.

Leia nodded to herself, mind made up. Han interpreted for Rey.

“If you can get us the access codes for a safe landing, we can be there in a few weeks.” Rey beamed, radiant.

“I'll do everything I can. Thank you, your Majesties, thank you so much!” she breathed, elated, relieved, and a number of other emotions she couldn't even name. Han quirked an eyebrow at his wife, prompting the lightest of haughty chuckles from the shrewd, kind woman.

“It's just Han and Leia to you. Lose the fancy titles,” she murmured.

Rey flushed, moved by her words.

“Thank you, but, to be completely frank, our engagement is a fairly informal, technical one at best. I haven't even explicitly stated that I _want_ to marry him-”

“But do you?” Leia posed, pulling no punches. Rey bit her lip.

“I wanted to have a proper courtship, see if we could live together, work through any difficulties, that sort of thing, but... _yes_ ,” she laughed, her in-laws grinning at her words. “ _Stars_ , I love your son.”

The pair laughed, and she giggled right along with them.

“And after the journey you must have been through...” Leia said, shaking her head. Rey shed a bittersweet grin.

“It was by no means an ordinary proposal, but I'll save that story for another time.” Han guffawed.

“I can't wait to hear it! It will a pleasure to meet you in person, Lady Rey.”

“Likewise.”

“We'll see you in three weeks time,” Leia added, signaling to the servant, no doubt to conclude the call.

“Okay. Goodbye!” Rey said, a little breathless with giddy relief. The tab closed as the connection severed, and Rey shot out of her seat, jumping up and down with joy.

~*~*~*~

After lunch, she met up with Phasma to train her weak points, and get in a bit of pain resistance training (though Phasma hated landing blows on her as much as Kylo did). Moving on from that lesson quickly, the Captain was running through the fundamentals of counter-attacks – turning defensive moves into offensive attacks, when the training room doors opened with a colossal _bang._

Rey whipped around, and, faced with the sight of Earl Tyranus, grasping a deathly pale Matt Ferrari by the bicep, and a masked Kylo, magicks swirling about him in full force, darkness glowing on his skin and snapping around him like whips, ashes darkening the room with their cloud, she blanched.

Phasma bowed, donned her helmet, and showed herself out.

Rey stiffened, lifting herself to her full height, and made a quick calculation. Regardless of how much or how little Kylo knew, she didn't want the burden of punishment to fall on Matt because she'd been using his Uni-Screen.

“Let Matt Ferrari go, your Lordship. He merely let me borrow his Uni-Screen and looked up the number I intended to call as I requested. He is completely innocent.”

Kylo stood still, stewing in his barely contained rage. At a sharp gesture from him, Earl Tyranus sighed and released the Golem, clearly disappointed that the servant would escape from the situation unharmed.

“I will speak to my betrothed _alone,_ Tyranus,” Kylo chewed out harshly, like the words were poison in his mouth. The Earl quirked an eyebrow, but made no overt objection.

“I should hope my bringing to your attention a simple breach in palace security will not result in the spilling of blood, your lordship,” he responded, mildly.

With a growl, Kylo's hand shot up, shadows slamming the doors shut behind him. He whirled on her.

Instinctively, Rey raised her starlight staff in defense, stance grounded, firm.

To her surprise, he dropped his helmet. In a way though, it was almost worse. This way, the lines of distress on his face were made clear, starkly visible, in spite of the dark glow of his skin, his eyes broiling with molten fury.

“ _How could you?_ ” he spat, voice like the hissing of steam. She took a shuddering breath, but swallowed her fear.

“I had to extend a hand of friendship in order to get them to the table. You made perfectly clear you were unprepared to do it yourself.”

“You KNEW I wanted NOTHING to do with them!” he yelled, the dam cracked wide open “And you went behind my back and DID IT ANYWAY?!”

Rey pressed her lips together in a hard line.

“I know they hurt you. I _know_ they screwed up, Kylo. But you should have _seen_ them today-” He laughed, a manic yelp “Your father _cried_ upon hearing that you shared the crystal butterfly story with me! Your mother was so _relieved_ that finally, she would be able to talk, to apologize – they _want_ to apologize-”

“ _WHAT DO YOU KNOW?_ ” he roared, and the room was consumed in a dark storm of suffocating ash and burning shadows. “ _YOU NEVER MET THEM – YOU AREN'T THEIR CHILD!! YOU THINK THEY'D SHOW YOU THE WORST OF THEM, AFTER ONE MEETING?!_ ”

The shadows tossed her about, rocking and spinning her like a tiny ship on a turbulent sea. The floor roiled as if a bio-quake had consumed the palace. She was horrifically disoriented, but otherwise unharmed.

“ _ALL THEY CARE FOR IS MY LEGACY! THEY WERE_ TERRIFIED _OF MY POWER! THEY_ _ **NEVER LOVED ME!**_ ”

She took in a huge breath, preparing to scream over him, and choked on the ash, coughing and retching horribly. She could breathe, couldn't eject the smog from her lungs. The room may as well have been on fire for how little oxygen there was.

At her horrible hacking, however, the ashes and shadows were swift to retreat, drawing back to his half of the room, releasing her to cough on her hands and knees.

When Rey could breathe again, she spoke with a hoarse, choked voice.

“ _If that's true...how could they miss you so much?_ ” she heaved, sounding like she had smoker's lungs. She coughed some more, eyes bleary with tears as she hit her chest, attempting to clear her airways by force.

Kylo had no retort to this. He hadn't been there of course, how could he confirm or deny?

_Of course!_

“ _Let me show you..._ ” she heaved, gravely, rising to her knees and extending her hand, trying to join their presences in the Ethereum and pass her memories to him.

His presence beating hers back was so visceral, so physical a pain, that she collapsed to the floor with a cry, cheek stinging as if he'd slapped her.

She felt a flash of aggrieved regret from him, but then it was gone.

“ _Stop this!_ ” she yelled, harsh and angry, and not just because of her shredded voice. “I know your parents fucked up, but they're trying to make things right – _here and now!_ And you won't even _speak to them?!_ ”

The fire in his eyes had lost none of its strength or fervor.

“No.”

He felt it, when her presence roiled and spun and darkened, like a supernova devolving into a ravenous black hole.

“You refuse loving, flawed parents who are trying to make amends – and yet kiss the feet of a man _who beat you and abused you?!_ ”

“ **Do not bring my sire into this-** ”

“ _I sure as Hellfire will! Even now he plagues you with nightmares most nights – and_ still _you won't say a word against him!_ ” She laughed, but not with humor; mayhaps the complete absence of it.

“All because he understood your powerful magicks, and your parents didn't?” she breathed, incredulous.

He charged, standing before her in seconds, flaming sword raised high and blinding, eyes unrecognizable.

“ _HIT ME AND I'M GONE!!_ ”

She hardly recognized the shrillness of her own voice. But not because of anything to do with terror. No, because of how much pain fueled her scream, how much sorrow coated her throat.

It was instant, like shutting off a light.

His sword blinked out of existence, his shadows fell dormant, his darkness receded, his ash coalesced.

Kylo's expression was one of naked horror, sorrow, regret. Only now did Rey realize that her cheeks had become stained with tears.

She gulped, gasping.

“ _Raise a hand against me again, Kylo Ren, and I swear, I'll leave without a backward glance!_ ” she sobbed.

She could see the apology already playing on his lips, his mouth wrestling with the words.

But the first words out of his mouth were not “I'm sorry.”

“They _feared_ me, Rey. And the parts that they feared have not changed...” She gasped in disappointment, hands raised in supplication.

“ _I_ see that your magicks are separate from you. Your aggrieved _choices_ , Snoke's influence, darkened you – your magick is just that – _magick!_ ” He stammered.

“You're different-”

“What, so I'm _insane_ then?! A hopeless, irrational case – because I didn't do anything different than a sane Mystic would! I gave you the benefit of the doubt and _this_ is where it got me _-!_ ”

“ _They never accepted my dark magicks! They never could – never will! But Snoke did!!_ You and Snoke are the only people that have ever truly seen me and accepted me for who _I am!!_ ” he exclaimed, tears coating his cheeks as well, brown eyes taking on a red halo that wasn't magick-made.

Rey pulled herself up to her full height, eyes blazing. It mattered little that Ben was a head taller than her. He started.

“If you honestly think that _Emperor Snoke_ didn't groom you, and mold you, and change you into his perfect apprentice because of _his own twisted agenda_ , then you're an even bigger fool than I thought you were, Ben Solo.”

The anger his eyes blazed with was different. Colder.

“He _respected_ me-”

“He _used_ you!! You practically said as much yourself: 'the Emperor's Hand he hoped I would be.' And yet, magickally, none of that matters to you! Just because he calls you ' _his boy_ ' and acts like the father you wish Han had been!”

His once warm, sun-brightened hazel orbs had become blocks of ice.

“Take it back.”

“No.”

“Take it back, right now, Rey.”

“Or what – you'll never speak to me again? Run from me, like you do from all your problems?” He snarled and spat, turned from her and whipped up the shadows from the floor, commanding them to break the weapons rack in half, the swords and staffs and blades _clanging_ and _crashing_ to the ground amidst the wood splinters.

“ _Nothing you do will make me see to my parents!! I am NEVER speaking to them again!!_ ” he screamed.

“ _Fine,_ ” she bit out, sweeping past him, heading for the exit, fuming.

“ _ **Don't you dare walk away from me.**_ ”

She stalled with her hand on the door knob, and turned the face the man that, hours before, she'd proclaimed her love for in front of his parents.

“So be it. Don't talk to them – order their ship to turn around on pain of death,” she said, voice hard. This, at least, seemed to relax him a bit, bring on a noticeable rush of rainwater blue in the Ethereum.

“But your sire is the furthest thing from your father. If you can't see what he's done to you, how he's the cause of so much of your pain, no amount of my love will able to lift you out of the dark. We will suffer a loveless, hollow marriage living in Snoke's shadow. That much I can promise you, Ben.”

He turned away from her, hiding his face. The shadows seemed to gather about him, but the change was subtle.

A long, painful, pregnant silence passed.

She could feel the war of his turbulent emotions, but she knew that storm was beyond her help now. Besides, she doubted she could find a hint of warmth in her heart to want to coddle a man so sickly and addicted to his own suffering, so resistant to truth and rejecting of her intent to help.

In the beginning, it had been very, very different. Snoke had been the cause of his fall.

But this was a hole he was digging entirely for himself now.

Finally, at little more than a whisper, he answered.

“ _I can't_.”

For so simple a phrase, there was yawning pit of hurt and pain behind it.

“Then, I'm afraid, neither can I,” she said. He made no move to stop her, as she opened the door and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3 <3


	33. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The formally happy couple avoids one another.
> 
> Rey reflects on their argument and their anger. Finding a secret alternate message in the Hall of Prophecy gives her hope and resolve.
> 
> Ahsoka, Maul, and Tyranus stage an intervention.

Somehow, she could not bring herself to leave the palace. She seriously considered it, as she tossed and turned that first, mostly sleepless, night. But each silent day that passed made it easier and easier to stay, though she still didn't quite know why she did.

Perhaps that was the form the remaining sliver of her love for Kylo took, because all the rest of it had fled entirely.

She stopped wearing her ring and her armband. They didn't speak to each other. They avoided one another like the plague – taking their meals in their rooms, sleeping in their own beds, and skirting around each other at all costs. Though Rey couldn't really speak to Kylo about arranging a shared living situation for Matt and Daisy now, she grew the bitter carrots in her garden anyway, and delivered the flowering plants' contraceptive seeds in teabags for Daisy, as promised.

“I'm afraid I might not be able to get you two a shared suite for some time, though.” Daisy started, perplexed.

“Why is that, my lady? Is...everything alright?”

Her tight lipped smile probably gave her away.

“Kylo is very busy at the moment. We hardly have time to speak to each other at all.” Daisy wasn't digesting the lie, if her frigid gaze was any indication. She sat by Rey's side and folded her arms, waiting patiently.

Rey's resolve melted.

“...We're not on speaking terms, right now.” Daisy's eyes became wide with worry.

“What? Why?” It took all of Rey's willpower to hold back her tears.

“We fought. He's beyond my help at the moment, maybe beyond anyone's. Snoke's just sunk his claws too deep...”

And though Rey's tears were few and fled quickly, Daisy held her until her eyes were dry again.

“Your secrets are always safe with me, my lady.”

Phasma's greatest service to Rey came through regular sparring, around which Rey developed something of a schedule. Breakfast, reading up on horticulture, lunch, sparring, shower, gardening in the evening, taking BeeBee for a walk, dinner, sleep, meditating during the Sacred Hour, more sleep. The distraction was a welcome one, and a good way to break up the monotony of her days.

If nothing else, Rey could become a stronger fighter through it – a universally useful skill. In the end, it was indeed the Dragoon Captain that concluded Rey's training, closing the book on lessons eight, nine, and ten, after many days of pain-resistance training, and mastering the nuanced art of counter-attacks.

“This final lesson is one, ironically, that cannot really be taught,” Phasma said, seated with her chrome pike balanced on the knees of her crossed legs. Rey joined her on the mat.

“How so, Phasma?” Her smile was a grim, hard thing.

“Lesson 10: Mercy is a luxury reserved for mock-combat and sparring. In a real life-or-death battle, when faced with a deadly opponent, you must go for the kill.”

“Ah. So that's why it can't be practiced,” Rey murmured, fiddling with her starlight staff, incapable of keeping it as safe and steady as the Captain was. Phasma smiled, lightly.

“But, you know the fatal points on the body-”

“Temple, jugular, heart, gut,” Rey recited perfectly.

“And you've clearly proven your ability to strike and pierce them, so,” Phasma rose with a shrug “By my estimation, your lessons are complete.”

“Phasma-!” Rey yelled, frantically, as the Captain made to exit the training room through the showers, likely having to return to her duties.

“Yes, my lady?” she asked, her chrome pike collapsing down into her hand and vanishing from existence.

“...In spite of my lessons being completed, could we, mayhaps, continue these sparring sessions – if your duties allow for them?”

Phasma had yet to bring up the fight between her and Kylo. But if the manner in which her expression fell was any indication, the Captain had to be acutely aware of the details of it.

“Of course, my lady. For as long as you require,” said Phasma, and her kind eyes and formal bow to Rey were a blessing, because had the Captain been even a bit more sympathetic, that day would not have been marked the first in ages that Rey hadn't cried.

Mind, Rey usually was passive and calm during the day, as if nothing had changed. But then, she'd spot a rose in a planter along the way back to her room from gardening, or walk by one of the ballrooms by mistake, or catch sight of a beautiful plant in _The Language of Flowers_ , and find it so lovely that she would think, elated, of gifting it to him, before she remembered, and despair cloaked her anew.

Sometimes, worse still, she would get a hint of his dark thoughts during the Sacred Hour, catch a whiff of his sorrow and exhaustion and inability to sleep, and feel sorry for him. Yes, she had been harsh, and raised her voice against him. But she hadn't said anything that wasn't true, and while she'd apologize for yelling in a heartbeat, she could not, on good conscious, take back the statements she had made.

She could not force Kylo to turn from Snoke. That was something he had to do for himself.

But as the days melted into a slog of weeks and nothing changed, Rey's tiny bit of hope that a change might be possible wavered and weakened.

She took to exploring the library on the palace's ground floor, rooting through books on the Children of the Stars, in the hope of maybe, possibly, finding a link to the woman who had birthed her. It was a wild fox hunt, and she knew it, nor did she particularly care about who her biological, virgin mother had been. But it was a mystery she buried herself in wholeheartedly, given that was capable of occupying her curiosity and filling in her time.

For half a millisecond in the midst of the doldrums, there was hope. It came in the form of a single yellow flower with many layers of petals, magickally materializing on her desk one afternoon in her otherwise empty, tiny glass vase he'd used for tussie-mussies before. Rey's heart leapt at the sight, and she tore through _The Language of Flowers_ praying for an explanation, an apology, two words about how he was feeling and how he wanted to move forward – anything to break this melancholy silence.

“'Yellow Chrysanthemum: Slighted love,'” she read. She gripped the book's covers more tightly, huffing out a breath.

Well, yes, fair enough, she had yelled at him, spoken some rather harsh truths. But at the same time, he had some _nerve_ telling her he felt slighted.

No amount of her bad-mouthing Snoke and pushing him to talk to his parents gave him the right to scream at her and threaten her and nearly attack her.

She was trying to do everything in her power to help him recognize how badly he'd been hurt by Snoke, and for her pains, he felt like he'd been hurt? Rey began to stew in her skin.

If that was how he wanted to feel, then fine, so be it. She slammed the book shut, turning from her desk.

...But growled in frustration, when she realized bouquet-exchange protocols demanded she give him a response.

She ravaged the tome in a search for an accurate flower to describe his completely selfish view of the situation, and the answer jumped out at her, almost immediately.

Of course, Narcissus, the flower famously used to describe those with massive egos.

She raised the plant from the soil in her garden as the sun set on Mustafar, and made sure to throw it at his bedroom door before she went to bed that night, ensuring that he'd hear she'd returned the favor.

The following morning, a yellow carnation was waiting just outside Rey's door. "You have disappointed me," the flower's definition read. Rey fumed, marching about the palace like she'd snap at anyone who looked at her the wrong way.

Judging by the absolute pandemonium she heard coming from one of the palace's many conference's rooms later that day, Kylo seemed to have just as short a fuse as she.

Rey broiled and stewed in her anger until training, which helped release some of the aggression through fast and furious sparring. But it wasn't enough to stop her from delivering an orange lily, “hatred,” at Kylo's bedroom before she went out gardening to escape the stifling interior of the palace.

She blocked out the sounds of his sobs that night, during the painfully long Sacred Hour, by driving poisonous reminders of his hellish Inferi eyes, his sheer rage, and his utter denial, into her heart. It cauterized the bleeding of her heart like a charm, but still, his weeping kept her up for much of the night.

Desperate for any sort of departure from the norm, Rey rose early the next morning, having slept little and grown bored, and nearly tripped over the five, fiery blooms of marigold – “cruelty.” Rey roared in frustration, chucking the tiny glass cup against the wall and letting it shatter, the blooms falling abandoned on the soaked carpet. She charged down the hall to the nearest planter, and exploded an orange mock – “deceit” – into existence.

This, she promptly stuffed under his door, forcefully and with great vitriol, before running off in search of someplace dark and cool to stave off the rising headache, pounding at her temples.

Because even if he considered her words, or returned favors cruel, she had only spoken her mind so much because she'd been deceived into believing he could change, that the ties betwixt him and Snoke could be severed.

Rey's feet lead, unconsciously, to the Nightmare Hall of Prophecy in the basement, and it was a refuge she found she didn't detest the idea of. Still, there was the matter of the locked door. But maybe it had little to do with what matter the key was made of. Maybe it just had to be magickally constructed?

After molding the nearby torchlight into a solid beam of energy, and a bit of finagling, she managed to mold the correct shape of key to fit the lock and allow herself in.

She paced the onyx floors, skirting around the shafts of light from the skylights, her anger rapidly draining, leaving only exhaustion in its wake.

They couldn't go on like this, she knew. Either they had to speak to one another, in the hope of somehow finding common ground, or she had to leave. There was no conceivable way Rey would accept Ben's proposal in earnest now, given the state of their relationship.

She sighed, lifting her eyes skyward, and covered them with her hands.

How in the Nine Heavens could they fix this? She mourned.

Perhaps there was some vague part of her that was willing to concede being the Lady Emperor's Hand, and future Empress, for the sake of being there for Kylo.

But one swift reminder of Daisy and Matt's situation, blessedly one of the better stories too, and Rey knew that couldn't be the case.

She didn't have it in her to pretend to be a cruel mistress for the rest of her life – not even for the man she loved, or at least, seemed to have loved.

It seemed incredible, really, how so strong a love could morph into such hatred, so quickly. But, as Rey's eyes filled with tears for the millionth time, she came upon the epiphany that, really, most of that hatred was directed at Snoke, not Ben at all.

For the chains he'd snared her fiancé in.

The darkness he'd shrouded his life in, the purpose he'd molded him to fit, such that he felt he had no other place of belonging.

Of course Mustafar was his home.

He'd been conditioned to feel that no other place had even remotely come close; happy memories had been twisted, bad memories dragged into a brutal abyss.

And she'd screamed at him for being unable to break away from his abuser, who'd warped his mind to earn his loyalty.

Stars, what had she been thinking?

She collapsed against the wall, back scraping against the prophecies all the way down, as she settled in despair. But, almost immediately, she picked her head back up, and rose.

Strange. Very strange.

It has sounded like...one of the prophecies had almost...rattled in place as she rubbed over it?

Like it wasn't carved into the solid onyx block at all, but modular...like prophecies and histories found in sandstone Somni temples...

But that _couldn't_ be...could it?

Rey's fingers flitted over the wall as she searched for the tiniest out-of-place indentation or line, and her eyes skimmed the text. It was the prophecy concerning Kylo Ren and his future wife.

She read it again as she inspected the stone.

_Born into weighty promise and hefty gold chains, the next servant of darkness comes._

_He, who was failed by blood and raised by tainted water, shall grow strong in solitude,_

_But there shall be fragments yet to be assembled, knowledge yet to be obtained._

_The quest that leads the Emperor's Hand far and outward shall turn in,_

_Upon the discovery of a Mystic most humble,_

_Met underneath the moon with eyes like molten sun_

_She, with name of solstice's light, shall make sense of the severed pieces,_

_Reunite the whole, and gift unto the Emperor's Hand,_

_The_ _Nightmare's Executioner, The Feral Flame, and The Deal-Maker of Daemons,_

_Great magicks, strength as yet unknown to any Hand,_

_And power a hundred times that which he already possesses._

_United in the sacred ties of man and wife,_

_She of Dust and he of Ash,_

_Shall give the galaxy new order and life._

It looked much the same, not a detail out of place. But Rey kept padding around, and suddenly, there it was – a hairline crack, almost imperceptible in the stone, running in a wide rectangle that surrounded the third and fourth stanzas. Rey tried to get her fingers curled around the razor thin edges.

Impossible. It was too tight for her hands alone.

She jerked her head and the torchlight swarmed to her aid in whirling tendrils, leveraging into the thin cracks, and pulling with almighty force, jiggling and dragging, until the block of onyx popped out in her hands. Rey gasped in delight, and set the tome-like tablet on the floor beneath the prophecy, quick to rise again, and drink in the completely altered second half of Luke Skywalker's prediction.

_Born into weighty promise and hefty gold chains, the next servant of darkness comes._

_He, who was failed by blood and raised by tainted water, shall grow strong in solitude,_

_But there shall be fragments yet to be assembled, knowledge yet to be obtained._

_The quest that leads the Emperor's Hand far and outward shall turn in,_

_Upon the discovery of a Mystic most humble,_

_Met underneath the moon with eyes like molten sun_

_She, with might of magicks holistic, will too be questing for herself_

_United in matrimony, it shall be a partnership with mutual gifts_

_Together, burgeoned, blazing, Somni and Nightmare,_

_Shall complete the picture of magick once-divided_

_Theirs shall be a love forged in fire,_

_Tested by night, but surviving in darkness most dire_

_Each shall possess strength the other most needs,_

_Only by meeting can their most desperate desires be appeased_

_Together, Ash and Dust shall raise the mighty sword_

_That will slay the dark, and the stars restore_

Not only was the revised message longer, the second half crammed into a smaller space, but its ultimate meaning was utterly changed. The original prophecy mentioned nothing of love, or joining together to defeat darkness! Only that, through marrying a humble Mystic with glowing eyes, Kylo could become more powerful than ever before!

This prophecy still somewhat mentioned this growth in strength, but it was a mutual experience, and behaved more like subtext to their powerful love, reliance on each other, and what they could accomplish – together?!

It was too much.

Rey sobbed at how wrong it all had turned out to be. Accurate beyond belief, but in the end, mistaken.

She couldn't even begin to fathom how this secret had been hidden away for so many years, gone completely unnoticed by any resident of the palace...

Except the answer came to her, swiftly rising out of her despair.

Luke Skywalker had been a Grand Healer, a Gaia, a Somni, and he had carved this prophecy on the Pumice Palace's wall. A building that Nightmares alone otherwise frequented.

And he had known the crucial details – a _Somni_ would be the wife of the Man of Ashes, a detail that went unstated in the altered version. And only a follower of the Somni religion would have known, would have even _thought_ , to look for modular panels in a hall of prophecy.

This prophecy, the _true_ prophecy, had been hidden in such a way that only _she_ could find it when the time came. And Luke had seen fit to write the truth, and hide it, years ago.

To him, it had seemed worth it to have a record of the truth that she could someday find.

The Grand Healer had truly believed in the words he'd carved into this rock, Rey realized. He'd had hope, that one day a Somni girl would come along and lift his nephew from the darkness he had fallen into, and that together, they would destroy it.

He had placed his utter, blind faith, in her – a complete stranger. And with this faith, he had decided to pass on the hope of his vision to her.

Rey pressed her face to the cool, onyx rock, breathing deeply. Her headache had suddenly fled from her, in a rush, such that she hadn't even noticed it had gone.

She straightened.

As angry as she was at Kylo, her rage had cooled to something of a buzzing frustration now. Yes, she still wasn't keen on talking to him, but one thing was abundantly clear to her. Now, in his greatest time of need, she could not, would not turn from Kylo.

A cool stone of determination settled alongside the flickering flame of anger in her belly, and the two tempered one another.

Before their fight, their silence, their war-of-the-roses, Rey had been certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that their love had been something worth fighting for. She would fight for it now. Not solely because a Skywalker twin had put stock in her, though that bit of faith didn't hurt.

But because the words of this prophecy, of how they would care for one another, build each other up, triumph in the face of hardship – those were the first words of a foretold future that she honestly believed in, put _her_ faith in. And she was willing to do everything in her power to fight and make that future a reality.

So it was that Rey marched upstairs, a fire in her eyes, determined to break the silence between her and Kylo, and stumbled upon the very man she was looking for.

...Standing the entrance hall, restrained at the elbow by Maul, surrounded by Ahsoka, and Tyranus, and two sizable travel packs, clearly filled to the brim with supplies.

Ahsoka grinned at her, an over-eager and desperate sight. Her right eye twitched.

“You two are setting out on your pilgrimage. Today,” she ordered, grimacing with a dangerous, false sweetness.

~*~*~*~

All of Rey's determination and resolve fled in a rush, replaced instead by shock and panic.

“Please tell me you're joking,” she muttered. Ahsoka swept over to her and seized her by the arm, her grip as brutally painful as her strained smile.

“Not hardly, my dear.” The Astrae dragged Rey over to the center of the room and released her by one of the packs, designating it as hers.

“As we explained before, your pilgrimage is a tour of the groom's home planet of Mustafar,” Maul began, explaining in a measured and oddly calm, but firm fashion “You're expected to walk a circuitous path that will take you from the palace, through all the major biomes-”

“Desert, scrub forest, valley, mountain-side, and the lake country by the temple-” Ahsoka briefly interjected.

“And come back here.”

“We've taken the liberty of mapping out a rough route for you,” said the Marchioness, tapping the side of Rey's pack, prompting her to dive into the rucksack and dig out a paper map, inspecting the route.

It wasn't exactly a meandering scenic route who's length bordered on cruel, but neither was it the most efficient path.

They'd likely be on this pilgrimage for the better part of a month.

“We'll allow for some deviation from the path, but you're expected to stick to seventy-five percent of it,” Ahsoka said, grin still dangerous, seeming to read Rey's mind.

“Albeit, the path we've marked for you was, in many cases, the safest one. Detours and short-cuts invite the possibility of danger – nests of predators, treacherous paths, gorges, lava flows, and the like,” Earl Tyranus added, sounded rather indifferent about the whole situation.

“But, of course, we leave what dangers you can and can't handle to your discretion,” concluded Maul, still not releasing Kylo, who, judging by his presence in the Ethereum, dearly wished to be anywhere else in the galaxy right now than in this room.

Rey glanced between the map and the royals a number of times before she could finally unravel the knots in her tongue.

“But – _why?_ ” she exclaimed. Ahsoka's grin grew even broader, if such a thing was possible.

“Because my patience for your bickering and immature silence has run out, Lady Rey!”

“It's a journey you would have make sooner, rather than later, regardless,” Maul said, staring pointedly at Kylo when he said this, infernal gaze piercing Kylo's visor with ease. “And, considering your survival will depend entirely on your ability to work together-”

“And _communicate_ ,” injected Ahsoka.

“And the Emperor will have our heads if one or both of you dies on the trek...” Earl Tyranus tacked on.

“It is high time you two went!” the Marchioness concluded, voice dripping with faux sweetness.

Rey's mouth became set in a hard, thin line.

“So that's it then? We're going, this moment, and we have absolutely no say in the matter?”

“Well, not immediately. I'd suggest you change into clothing better suited for traveling through the rocky desert before you go – we've already packed clothing suited for the other environments for both of you,” Tano clarified, fatal cat's grin finally vanishing as she mused. “But I expect both of you back here within twenty minutes, ready to depart.”

Rey tried to think of any sturdy argument, any point of contention – some small saving grace.

“What about BeeBee? Can I bring him along for the journey – he'll miss me terribly.”

“No,” Ahsoka said, without hesitation “Fear not, I will make sure the critter's every need is attended to, including socialization.”

Rey almost growled in frustration.

_Why?!_

“Because, my lady, I'll not allow you the luxury of a distraction,” explained Tano, razor-toothed grin on display once more.

“You two are going to sort out your differences on this trip, or, by the Gods of the Ethereum, you're going to _wish_ you _had_ died on the pilgrimage,” she simpered.

Tyranus neither agreed nor objected, but Maul released Kylo's numbing arm, and nodded stoically.

Rey stomped up the stairs, tore off her fancy blouse and trousers, and shucked on her reliable Duster uniform and boots.

Within fifteen minutes, she was tightening the straps of her pack, mask-less Kylo at her side, dressed in medium gray, plain, traveling garb, not dissimilar from her own, and together, they stepped out into the baking Mustafar sunlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	34. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An arduous journey across Mustafar's dangerous and diverse biomes lies before Kylo and Rey. 
> 
> A bit of forced collaboration might be just what the pair needs to get them talking again, and work through their difficulties.

Ahsoka had been frustratingly right about one thing.

It took all of ten minutes before they were forced to speak to one another.

“Damn it. I'm lost. Which way are we supposed to be going, according to the map?” Rey asked aloud, breaking the silence for the sake of sticking to the safe path, and maybe avoiding death on the first day. Kylo rooted through his pack and pulled out the copy of the map, and, to Rey's chagrin, a compass. After a minute of examination, he'd oriented himself.

“We're heading a bit too West. The scrub forest is directly South,” he said, pointing them more to their left. Relief washed over Rey as understanding and a clear mental picture of their path emerged in her mind.

“Okay, due South it is,” she said, rising again.

Every little thing, it seemed, required a conversation.

They had to agree on when to rest, determine their pace for the day and what stopping point they were shooting for, confer how to ration their menial dried fruit, pita bread, and water, based on where they were most likely to find streams and prey to refill and supplement their stocks.

But everything was kept brief, and to the point. It was a conversation of business, a necessity born of being traveling companions.

As the hottest part of the day approached, Rey suggested they stop and wait it out. Far from the scrub forest and any semblance of natural shade, Rey searched her pack and found a light-colored, sun reflecting tent, that was pitifully small, but served its purpose, shielding and cooling them faithfully as they sat across from each other, cross-legged and meditating.

When that grew too boring and wearisome, Rey undid a lock of her tied-back hair and began playing with it, creating ever more complicated braids, while Kylo found a length of climbing rope to fuss with, tying every manner of knot imaginable, fingers restless.

They ate and drank sparingly.

The hour passed three, according to Rey's water-proof watch.

“We should get going again, if we're going to reach the edge of the forest by night-fall.”

“Agreed.”

They rose, packed the tent, and continued on their way. They didn't quite reach the scrub forest by night-fall, but they were close enough that it was easy for Rey to gather driftwood for a comforting fire to stave off the desert-night chill that Kylo lit with ease. There were no large mammalian prey about, but Kylo did stumble upon a monitor lizard which he speared with his sword, Rey demonstrating how to skin and cook the beast, the Inferi attentive and keen all through the process.

They slept with full bellies, curled up in sleeping bags on opposite sides of the fire, as the tiny tent wasn't viable for sleeping in, stretched out.

The days melted into a week, and they fell into something of a routine.

Waking at dawn to hunt, when it was cool enough, and creatures were more likely to be out and about – Rey, at a distance, with her starlight bow, Kylo chasing down and finishing injured stragglers with his sword. Walking until mid-day, lunching and waiting out the heat in the tent, walking until sunset, setting up camp, cooking dinner (if they'd caught any that morning), sleep, repeat.

The scrub forest was a blessing, providing regular food in the form of those lizards, and a number of streams to fill their water-skins – the only way the warped, skinny trees could have subsisted in the midst of the rocky sea.

The stretches of desert, on the other hand, were brutal and merciless. They were forced to go nearly a week just on their emergency supplies, before they happened across the rare rabbit or fox out of sheer luck.

“Is there any chance of a short-cut? Some way to circumvent _some_ of the desert?” Rey asked, one afternoon in the tent.

Kylo inspected the map, but was quick to shake his head.

“We're already taking the shortest path. It's going to be another five, six days until we reach the mountains.”

Rey could have wept, but that would've been a waste of water.

On the fifth day without fresh food, their supplies were dwindling. Both of them were anxious, hungry, and irritable, but they spoke little about their worries. Just as they were about to stop for midday and a measly lunch, Kylo became distracted by something on the horizon.

“Hold on, just...just walk with me and tell me if you see that dark spot getting closer,” he muttered, lifting her by the arm before she could pull out the tent and begin assembling it. They walked for ten minutes, and the dark-something _did_ get closer.

Another five, and Rey laughed in elation, recognizing the structure.

“ _Palm trees!_ ”

They broke into a run, heedless of the heat and the burning sun, and didn't stop until they stumbled into the oasis, laughing with sheer glee and relief. The blue-green water was the coolest, smoothest drink Rey had ever had, and the relief and cleanliness it brought to her sticky, burning skin when they portioned out a few canteen-fulls for showers was an absolute blessing. The numerous dates and handful of coconuts made for the sweetest, most filling meal Rey had ever had.

For the first time in days, they were smiling and without care.

They took a day of rest, lingering at the oasis until nearly sunset, and took an evening stroll with canteens full of coconut milk, and packs full of date puree cakes – baked into shape on a hot stone and molded by the coconut shells – eyes awe-struck by the sight of the Ethereum twinkling above them.

Rey had half a mind to take Ben's hand in hers as they walked along, hearts at peace, but decided against it.

Less than two days later, they'd arrived at the foot of the mountains and began climbing, a dangerous task under regular circumstances – far more so since Kylo was a novice climber. Still, she instructed him patiently, never losing her temper and teaching him to read the rock for footholds. She, herself, was shocked at how she didn't snap at him.

Perhaps her fear that any loud exclamation would cause him to fall kept her tone even. All the same, it was a brutal trek up to the top of the cliff.

But, she taped his injured hands with care at day's end, magicking the blisters back into smooth, healthy skin in a trifle, and they camped along a wide, sturdy outcropping, Kylo puzzling over the map by the fire he'd conjured.

“I just don't understand it...”

“What's troubling you?” Kylo slapped the map in bewilderment.

“Why would the Marquess and Marchioness have us go along the mountain range for a stretch, before dropping into the valley, when we could just descend now and cut across, saving nearly seven day's time?” Rey leaned closer, examining, brow furrowed.

“Let's see...no steep inclines, no notes about dangerous predators or active volcanoes...you're right – I can't see a reason to take this route either.”

“It's not like we won't experience this biome in full if we skip this section. We'll have to go over the mountains and past a stretch of volcanoes in order to reach the Igneous Isle on the valley's opposite side.”

Rey shrugged.

“I'll scout ahead a bit in the morning to make sure the way down is clear and safe, and we'll cut across.”

Kylo nodded, with a satisfied smile.

“Excellent,” he said, rolling up the map. Rey didn't have time to question the notion before she returned his smile, and something in the hazel eyes that had been stern and decisive for weeks, softened at the sight.

~*~*~*~

The way down did prove itself to be safe, so they climbed as far as they dared before lashing their ropes to the rocks and repelling down into the valley.

Rey was instantly gob-smacked by the sight that greeted her in the basin beneath, and, to his credit, Kylo only laughed at her a little.

It was a rich, emerald forest, nestled within the mountain range. The hearty, volcanic soil, formed long ago by now-dormant volcanoes had given birth to dark-leaved deciduous trees with thick canopies, berry bushes, countless grasses and ferns, wildflowers, and supported all manner of creatures.

For seven days in a row, Rey consistently shot two rabbits after waking, the first shots clean, and going right through their temples. There was so much meat, they had ample left-overs that they cooked into jerky to save for later. They were positively jubilant in one another's company, though they didn't stray too close, or talk about much, they marveled at the tiny critters, or misty sunrises, or lovely wildflowers, together.

A few days later, they encountered their first and only predator.

They'd been taking a shorter mid-day rest beside a hollow log, owing to the cooler weather down in the lush valley, when an armored quadruped, head decorated with spiral-shaped horns, stomped across their path, skin glimmering with technicolor quartz crystals.

“Mustafarian bull, a lone male. Stars, _it's massive!_ ” Kylo whispered, crouching behind the log at Rey's side as she formed her bow and nocked her arrow. “That'll be enough meat to get us all the way to the temple!”

“Quiet!” Rey hissed, taking aim. “I've only got one shot at this – unless you think your sword can pierce _that_ armor!”

“It's more like spikes than armor, the crystals grow right out of its skin.”

She hit him with a glare.

“But no, my sword wouldn't stand a chance against them – not hot enough to cut through,” he muttered.

Rey lined up her shot as the bull took to leisurely grazing. Without warning, Kylo grasped her shoulder and firing arm. Luckily, Rey didn't loose the arrow in surprise.

“ _Asteroid's lead, what are you doing?!_ ”

“You need to wait – the armor and bone at its temples is too thick to pierce! Something has to support those horns!”

“Then where am I supposed to shoot?!” Kylo grimaced.

“Aim for its eye – straight through its brain.”

“ _What?! How am I supposed to do that when I'm facing its side?_ ” Rey hissed, just a little too loud.

The bull whipped in their direction, and, at the sight of them, let out a guttural roar that shook the trees and startled the birds into flight. It charged at them, head down, intent on defending its territory first and asking questions later.

Rey drew back, fearful, but intent on firing, heaving in panic, feet under her in case she needed to roll and bail.

At the last second, Kylo's hands corrected her, and the arrow flew straight and true, piercing the bull's brain through its eye, killing it instantly as it rolled over itself and crashed against the tree trunk harmlessly.

Rey collapsed against the grass, adrenaline draining, even as Kylo rose and began dragging the bull over to their fire so she could field-dress it.

“Oh Gods...” she heaved, unable to rise again for several minutes.

She still needed his assistance and his sword to tear the beast open, working from the bare-of-crystals belly and tearing off the skin in pieces, in order to get the meat carved up, cooked and smoked and stored for long-travel, laboring for the better part of a day and a half to salvage it all.

Rey didn't thank Kylo for the well-placed shot, nor did he try to take credit for it or brag about it, and after, Rey, in agreement with Kylo's gesture of respect, helped bury the bull's skeleton and crystal hide beneath a nearby oak (an easy task with Rey's magicks). They pressed on, food stores full and stocked for journey's end.

The days were cool and calming, bird-song accompanying their footsteps through the dewy grass, but Rey didn't look at it with the same, wide-eyed gaze. She'd retreated back into herself again, focusing only on the path ahead, to Kylo's regret. However, in spite of easy-goings, the white-capped mountains they spotted at the basin's opposite end should have been a warning.

Rey woke with a shock the next morning, covered in a dusting of snow.

She all but danced around in the fluffy, white crystals, Kylo having to bite back his delight, enough so her joyful demeanor wouldn't vanish in a bought of frustration, like her wonder at the valley was spoiled by his bull-hunting.

The marvel of her first snow lasted about a day and half, when the wind picked up in earnest, and the water gathered by the sun from the valley came down on them in the form of a proper snowstorm. They managed to find an empty cave to house them for the night, but the further they went into the valley, the farther the mountain walls would stray from their path, along with the promise of shelter.

Fortunately, the snow had stopped falling by morning, leaving a blanket several inches thick covering everything. The cold snap however, did not let up.

Rey, having grown up on desert planet, could handle the heat of the desert legs of the journey. She didn't like it, but she was accustomed to it. With a decent supply of water, she could make do.

Cold, however, cold like _this_ , she'd never experienced in her life.

It was not like a chilly desert night on Jakku, this was a cold that sunk into your very bones and chilled you from within.

Her fingers were so frigid one morning, in spite of her layers of fur and gloves, that she couldn't hold onto her nocked arrow, and it was Kylo that had to bring down the chilled branch of tree-fruit with a precise molten-spear toss.

She gritted her teeth for the first four nights of sleeping on the frozen ground by the fire-side, and lived, even if she slept comfortably.

But on the fifth night, in the heart of the valley, the temperature stayed below freezing. For the life of her, Rey _could not_ stop shivering. Try as she might to beat some warmth back into her limbs, she was suffering, and the amendment to the situation hadn't even crossed her mind.

After several long, silent minutes since their polite exchange of 'good night's,' she heard Kylo sigh.

“I can sense how cold you are. Come here.”

Rey's brow furrowed as she mused over the alternatives, teeth chattering.

“It's a matter of survival, Rey. I'm not going to have you freeze to death on my watch – that's far too pathetic a fate.”

There was nothing to be done. He was right.

Rey rose and bolted to the other side of the fire, all but sliding into the space he held open for her in his sleeping bag. The warmth of his body heat only made her shudder harder for a bit.

“Hey now, easy, Rey,” Kylo said, expression morphing into deep concern as he folded his arms around her, rubbing her arms to create friction-warmth.

Kylo was warmly dressed in his sleeping bag as well, but he didn't have on nearly as many layers as she – just the essential, fur-lined, cold weather clothes and boots, while she had on those, a warm sweater, leggings, gloves and her hat.

“I g-guess I didn't realize j-just how cold I w-was,” she stuttered, the warmth of him now starting to get into her. She cuddled closer, body searching for more. Within a few minutes, the shudders stopped, but just in case, Rey stayed close to him, nose and forehead pressed to his chest.

“Better?”

“Mmm.”

“Good,” he murmured, keeping his embrace of her tight. She let out a sigh, feeling much more at ease, already beginning to drift off. In the past days, it had been a fight to reach the oblivion of sleep.

But then, out of the peaceful dark, something seemed to prick at Rey's mind, sharp and intrusive. She tried to brush it off. But it came back again, stronger. And this prickly sensation seemed to compound and grow, until it was unavoidable, impossible to ignore.

And it was preventing her from falling asleep.

Rey searched the Ethereum, aghast, until she realized she was getting a glimpse into Kylo's emotions, not her own.

She took a breath, tearing her weary eyes open.

“Okay. Whatever it is that's plaguing you, please tell me. You're worrying is so loud that it's keeping me awake, and it won't do for one of us to have a sleepless night, much less both...” she muttered, voice thick with sleep.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“I can't recall the last decent night's sleep I had, in all honesty.” She tilted her head the tiny inch it took to meet his eyes.

“Nightmares?”

He shook his head, expression becoming so stricken with despair, with regret, with dread, that Rey's heart snapped open as instantly and easily as if it were made of fragile, stained glass.

“Fear.”

“Of what?” she asked, genuinely questioning, without any assumption in her tone.

“Of Snoke coming after me for my disobedience...of him defeating me and – bending me to his will, because I'm not strong enough to beat him on my own. Of truly becoming the Man of Ashes, permanently this time, because I can't escape his grip – can't” he laughed, desperate “can't even begin to imagine what kind of scheme it would take to break free of him, sever myself from everything he's constructed in me. Petrified of – of facing my parents, only for my childhood to come rushing back to me all over again; for them to look at my like some horrifying, daemon-child that they hardly recognize as their own, and _definitely_ don't want. And – and-” he was starting to heave, his voice breaking, though he wasn't crying yet.

“I'm terrified of losing _you_ , because I can't protect you from Snoke's wrath!! He's just too damn powerful – but _not_ standing up to him means I lose you, your heart, and I honestly couldn't tell you which is worse!!”

He gasped, chest jumping with sobs, once, twice, and then his lower lip trembled and the tears burst forth, flowed down his cheeks, over his temple, down the bridge of his nose.

Rey was quick to react, wiping them away before they froze. Then again, she wasn't sure if tears were salty enough to keep them from freezing, but she decided she wasn't willing to risk it. A minute into getting her gloves rather wet, she tore them off and used her bare fingers in the hopes that she'd have warm, mostly dried gloves when this was over, to heat her hands in again.

She said nothing, simply letting him sob his fill, and when he tucked his face into the crook of her shoulder and cried into her hair, she held his broad shoulders and rubbed his back, without question or complaint.

Whatever anger there had been was dissolved by each hitch of his breath, by each wet choke and dry heave, until there was nothing left but understanding.

When she felt his sobs had slowed and quieted enough for him to listen, she gently pulled away from him, and took firm hold of his hands, gazing purposefully into his eyes.

“Do you feel this?” she asked, giving his fingers a squeeze. His hazel eyes were wide with bewilderment, but he nodded nonetheless. “This means I'm here. That if you want to be your own person, unencumbered by masters or titles or anything, I will support you in _any way_ I can to make that come true. It means if you want to face down Snoke, you are _not_ doing that alone. Because maybe you're right, and he's too bloody powerful for either one of us to take on alone – but if we stand against him _together?_ He won't stand a _chance_.”

His watery smile was so beautiful a sight that she had to stop and bite her lip, throat constricting before she continued.

“But, this...this also means that if you choose not to go against him because you're afraid – for yourself, for me, for our very lives – that I'll stand by you then, too. I'm not going to run away just because things get hard, because the burden of some injustices have to remain.” She squeezed harder, knuckles going white. Tears trembled in the corners of Kylo's eyes.

“Just because some sacrifices have to be made. I'd hope that things could be better, that we could bring a bit of fairness and light back to the galaxy and the Empire's rule – but I realize that's not going to be possible all the time. But I'm in this for the long run, Kylo Ren-” she sighed “Ben Solo – _whatever._ I am _here_ and I will stand by you, no matter what happens. I _promise_ you that,” her voice wavered, teetering “I swear it by the stars...”

His grasp when he drew her back in was so tight she was worried he might actually break something, but he didn't. He kissed the top of her head, eyes still leaking tears, and held her like she was the most precious thing in all the universe to him.

Her heart seemed to flutter in her chest from sheer relief. She had missed this, so, so much, but had denied the ache of absence, feeling she had bore enough pain as it was.

The rejoining of their mental bond threatened to dissolve him into sobbing mess again.

_I'm sorry for yelling_ , she whispered.

_Me too, Rey._

_I really, really want you to be happy, Ben. I've never wanted to fight for anything so much as your happiness._

_Stars, darling, are you_ trying _to rend my heart to pieces?!_ he said, voice sobbing, even in his head.

Another kiss on the crown of her head. This one she returned against his scratchy cheek, and his essence laughed with joy.

He leaned back a touch and met her eyes, hazel orbs taking on a graying, iron quality in the half-light of the fire.

_I_ do _want to fight him, Rey. Even if it's suicide, I no longer want to bow to him. I'm done being his pupil._ His brow scrunched up, painfully. _It's hard, seeing his actions for what they were. It's...wearisome, threatens to almost break me at times, to see his cruelty for what it was._

He shook his head, the lost-boy Ben Solo, again.

_But it does get easier, each time, and I feel better having revealed the truth after. I'm beginning to wonder if...if half my thoughts, my doubts and fears, were even well-founded, even came from my mind – or if they were all his. It's impossible to tell now, for certain._

_He warped your mind, Ben, twisted your heart. It's understandable that it's going to be Hellish to set everything straight again._

She sighed, sorrowful.

_My deepest regret is that I held your refusal to break from him against_ _you, even if just for a moment. Forgive me, Ky-_

A kiss against her forehead, slow and warm.

_Forgiven._

Her half-smile was a shy, humbled thing.

_Just that quickly?_

_We were both very stubborn, my lady, and angry about our circumstances._

_Yes, we were_ , she said, accepting the burden of responsibility, feeling its weight. He smiled.

_The important thing is we're on the same page now._

She nodded.

_Yes. No more fighting in the dark alone, sweetheart. We tackle this together, as a team – no different than climbing over that mountain._

He visibly melted, corners of his mouth wavering and dancing, unsure about assuming a smile.

_You called me 'sweetheart'..._

She shrugged, the warm rush of love quick to return to her and color her cheeks, embracing her again like an old friend.

_That is what you are to me, Kylo._

He grinned, the effect in his presence as if a miniature sun had spontaneously been born there. He cautiously tipped his head forward, and she met him halfway in a kiss, singular and gentle, but breathing such warmth and light into their chests.

She curled against him, automatic and sincere.

_I honestly thought you'd never love me again..._ he whispered, nose finding its prodding path back to where it belonged, an inch deep in her hair.

_For a while there, I thought the same. But, in truth, it was the anger that was temporary, and the love that remained, firm against the fighting. It's why I couldn't quite bring myself to leave. That, and hope._

_Your hope could change the galaxy, my darling – revolutionize it from the ground up,_ he muttered, persistent in his smooching of her head. She chortled a little, and he stilled, sleepiness finally filling them both up, now that their hearts were healed and glad.

She sighed, mind beginning to slip.

_All the same, could we maybe not be too overt when we get back to the palace? In spite of her threat, something tells me Ahsoka will never stop bragging about how right she was that the pilgrimage would set us back on track, if we let on that we're not fighting anymore._

Kylo laughed, giddy, beautiful, and low, before he drifted off.

_We'll be perfectly modest in our affections, my lady. Fear not._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! :D <3


	35. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo reach their final stop on the pilgrimage before turning for home - the Nightmare Temple.
> 
> A confrontation occurs that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommended music for the wondrous sight the couple witnesses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPjBnBdq5Os

With morning came a spike in the temperature, a sense of spring returning to the valley, and a bolstered effect to the simple joy of waking up in each other's arms.

Though they still had a decent distance to go, nearly a fourth of the trip remaining, it made all the difference to walk through the valley in companionable silence, sweetly holding hands, instead of the tense, distant, cold collaboration they'd had before. In short order, they'd reached the valley's end, and, filling their water-skins at the valley's final magnificent waterfall, began the long climb up to mountain range's lip, returning to higher altitude by day's end.

They found the journey easier, now that they were back on Ahsoka and Maul's plotted route, walking along sturdy mountain passes that were more like a variable hike, rather than the inching-along-treacherous-ledges-besides-bottomless-abysses that Kylo had been anticipating.

It took a few days to get over the mountain paths, and their stock of bull meat and fruit sustained them well, as the ridges didn't seem to house any stray, climbing goats or nesting birds of prey.

On the fifth day, they came across their first lava flow, the sign that they should begin their downward trek – beyond that point, the mountains were all volcanic. They journeyed back down to rocky desert over varying inclines, where they had to cross many lava flows, dissecting their intended path.

Rey nearly screamed in terror the first time Kylo casually stepped into a stream.

“ _Easy_ , Rey – I'm fine!! Lava flows are no different than a hot bath to me!” he exclaimed, hands placating as he lifted one booted foot and then the other out of the flow, to show that his legs were perfectly fine.

Rey screamed in frustration and tossed the nearest bit of loose granite at his head. She missed, hitting his arm, but her toss had lacked the force required to really do him harm.

“You stupid Inferi – _you nearly gave me a heart-attack!!_ ” she yelled as he tossed back his head in laughter. She made a move to attack him, but was too scared to follow him into the stream herself (in spite of her fire resistance), and as he hopped out of the river to the other side, he was entirely out of her reach.

Her anger was quick to drain out of her, and when she was calm again, Kylo used his magicks to harden the lava into granite stepping stones that she could use to follow him across.

“Jerk,” she said, smiling and slapping his shoulder lightly when she'd reached his side. Kylo, eyes gleaming, took the hand that had slapped him and kissed the knuckles ardently.

They traversed across the salt basin in this manner, hopping over lava flows and watching each other's back for a few days. Eventually, the lava rivers cooled to stone around them, cloud cover became more frequent and dark, and the soil became sandy and thick with water.

By sunset the next day, they walked through the mist, stumbled across the dark blue water, crossed the lake with the aid of lily-pad platforms Rey spontaneously grew, and stepped onto the Igneous Isle, hands coming into contact with the cold, basalt-brick walls of the Nightmare temple.

“Last stop before journey's end,” Rey mused, with a tired smile that Kylo returned.

“Indeed, my lady. And a good thing too. We only have a week's worth of food left, now.”

“But only five more days of travel!” she said, grinning in victory as they circled the squat, stone fortress, searching for the double doors.

“Almost makes the cold we bore in the Emerald Valley worth it, wouldn't you say?” Kylo teased, earning him another smack, and a kiss at his temple, both of which he treasured.

Finding the front entrance, they had to work together to push open the heavy, rotting, wooden doors. A draft of cold air seemed to rush at them from within the temple as they pushed into the dark.

Kylo snapped his fingers, and the torches in sconces that lined the room ignited, filling the space with an inviting warm glow.

The Nightmare temple had an elegant, vaulted ceiling, giving the illusion that the building was taller than it actually was. The pews and benches of the main hall had all long been destroyed by rot or else reclaimed by nature, as the space contained no furniture. At the nave's opposite end was a handful of short steps, leading up to a sizable window that, surely, had once contained a stained glass work of art, but now only showed an octagonal piece of the sky and the setting sun. The sconces were old, rusting, wrought-iron, and behind where the choir surely had been, was an onyx wall, upon which the religion's doctrines were written.

They were carved in Shade-Speak, and only Kylo could read them, and he certainly had no wish to translate the aggressive scribbles.

They checked the doors at the back of the chapel, and found that the Head Sage's office, and the cells in the basement for the clergy were all empty and barren – except where a bit of moss, ferns, or water grass had deigned to grow.

“Well, eerily empty though it may be, nothing seems to be amiss,” Rey said, shrugging as they came back upstairs. Kylo shook his head, presence unsettled.

“Still. I'm not so sure it's the best idea for you to be here.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Come on. Help me light a fire and put dinner together. It's only one night. It'll be over before you know it.” He gave her a half smile.

The beef stew Rey put together was absolute, savory delight and had Ben grinning from ear to ear.

“Alright, next time, you must teach me how to make it myself,” he said, knocking back even the droplets at the bottom of his bowl. Rey chuckled.

“It's _just_ beef and a bit of herbs I collected from the valley. It's really nothing special, Kylo.”

“Well, I loved it, my lady. And I am asking quite the favor when I request you teach me – I've had a number of cooks tell me I'm an absolutely hopeless case, Daisy included!” She laughed at that as she gathered up their bowls, and he helped her clean the cooking utensils and pot with a bit of boiled lake water.

As they settled in for the night, sharing a sleeping bag – the new norm – beside the warming embers of the dying fire, Rey's promise came back to her, and she took the opportunity to tell him about the Daisy and Matt's situation.

“Really? Daisy Snow and Matt Ferrari? Huh, I never would have guessed...”

“And rooming together is illegal – they could lose their jobs if they're even _seen_ together.” He nodded, understanding and decisive.

“I'll be sure to rectify that the moment we get back, my lady. Hells, they can even take one of our guest rooms upstairs if none of the staff rooms can accommodate two. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”

She nodded, sadly.

“...What is it?” He brushed her cheek with thumb, and she leaned into the comforting touch.

“Just the injustice of the whole situation. I can't imagine what I would do in their place – not being able to hold you or kiss you, every moment a stolen one. How awful it must be to hide from everyone that they're in love, living in fear of being discovered. It's just not right...” Understanding made his eyes glimmer, a bit more golden.

“Ah...I suppose this is what you meant by 'putting some fairness back into the galaxy?'”

“One example of it, but certainly. Not that I'm proposing a free-for-all anarchy either, but – some sort of rule that co-workers can apply for shared residence after, _pffft_ , say, three years of dating? And, honestly, if birth control was made more freely available, and workers were more likely and able to stay on the job, why does there _need_ to be a law preventing servants of the Empire from being in relationships to begin with?”

Kylo's mouth pouted, brow angry.

“Likely? To prevent ulterior loyalties and ties outside of those to the Empire itself.” Her expression fell.

“Stars, that's horrible.” He drew her closer into his embrace.

“And those are exactly the kinds of things we're going to work on repairing and reforming, my lady. That I can promise you.” She smiled against him chest, and the sensation sent happy-shudders racing across his skin.

“In the meantime, however, how did you get contraceptives to-”

“Bitter carrots. Grew them myself.”

He lifted her face to his, and gave her a kiss so rapturous she squeaked in surprise.

“My lady, you are absolutely brilliant,” he purred, and her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

“Thank you, my love, but I believe I have you to thank for helping me embrace the magicks that made such a brilliant feat possible...?” He rolled his eyes, and kneaded her lips once more.

 _Nonsense, my lady._ He muttered, beginning to drift.

“Stars, I missed you,” she breathed, delight singing through her, when he pulled away with a _pop_. He no longer had the strength to answer, but the way he held her tighter was answer enough.

~*~*~*~

She wasn't quite sure what woke her, but when Rey jolted awake, Kylo was thrashing against her.

“ _No...!_ ” he moaned, voice weak and groggy with sleep. “ _Stop! Enough!_ ”

His presence was awash with pain and suffering and her heart bled.

_Oh my dearest, not another nightmare!_

“Sweetheart, everything's okay! Wake up, I'm right here! Everything will be fine!” she said, speaking at a reasonable volume, grabbing hold of his wrists, so he wouldn't hit her or himself with his jerky movements.

“ _NO!_ ” he yelled, tossing himself away from her, almost twisting out of the sleeping bag entirely, turning back and forth on the cold, granite floor.

“Ben?!” Rey yelled, beginning to panic as she scrambled out of the sack and joined him at his side. “Ben! Wake up, my love! It's just a dream!!” she said, grasped his shoulders, holding him down.

“ _NO, STAY AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!_ ” he screamed, a strangled, pitiful thing.

A soft sound, almost like a murmur, a whisper, washed over the room, dark except for the faintest, gray light of dawn.

And the shadows rose up with a daemonic roar.

They snapped like whips, slithered like snakes, frothed and foamed like a tidal wave, reaching and clawing and seeking Ben. Rey whipped out her starlight staff, shedding a bit of silvery light on them, and batting away the tendrils with a fury, but they were numerous, vicious and strong. She couldn't fight them back indefinitely.

“WAKE UP!!” she screamed. She shook his shoulders, slapped him in the face, but there was no response from Kylo – at least, not towards her aims. He was starting to yelp and cry out in fright, twisting away from some invisible threat.

Twice, the shadows nearly touched him because he was seizing so.

“NO!! SWEETHEART, WAKE UP!!” she begged, tears blazing in her eyes. With a yell, the torches of the room blazed back to life, forcing back the shadows with a wounded hiss. Quickly, some thicker, darker vines rose up to snuff out the flames, sacrificing themselves so the little ones could reach them again.

She had to act fast, or her window of opportunity would be gone.

Rey rubbed her hands together, furiously generating a huge cloud of Dream Dust – but what dream would do the trick?! Judging by his despair, he was fighting something horrible, in the dark, alone, and all she could think of was filling his head with reassurances that he wasn't alone, that she was with him, even in sleep.

So she focused on their love, her protection, as she grasped his face with her dust-covered hands, eliminating the middle-man of blowing the cloud onto him.

She pressed her forehead to his, intoning, “ _I'm here, I'm here, I'm here, I'm here._ ”

The shadows let out an unholy scream and jerked away as if burned. They shook and wavered and warbled and lost their strength, their danger, falling utterly flat and lifeless. The tangerine flame of the sun peaked over the lip of the window and filled the room with a golden glow.

Kylo gasped and awoke.

He sat up and clutched her.

“My love...” he moaned, painfully, clinging to her shirt, her hair, breathing in the sunny scent of her skin.

“I'm here, my darling. I'm here,” she murmured, brushing out his hair, rubbing his shoulder, kissing his face.

When he leaned away from her, the look of wonder on his face arrested her completely.

“Snoke was torturing me in the dark, in my dreams, like he always did. He was...Nine Heavens he was _furious_ ,” Kylo panted “He can sense how my love for you has come back, full force, and he did not like it one bit. He...he tried to sink deep into my subconscious again, like he did when I was young – linger beyond my dreams. He loved sinking into the shadows, breathing life into them, even the ones in my mind...

“I couldn't fight back, I couldn't wake up. I couldn't silence the deafening roar of noise and doubt and hatred, and just as I thought I was about to lose my mind – there you were. Light, and gentleness, and sweetness, just as you are,” She melted into his touch at her cheek, smiling “And then I wasn't at his mercy anymore. He couldn't do anything to push you out. And while he was distracted, I gave him the boot.”

He laughed, relieved, jubilant.

“He's _gone_ , Rey! For the first time in ages, I can't feel him lurking in my mind, not even my subconscious – it's all just _me!_ ” She laughed too, her tears of joy completely unprompted. He kissed her so warmly she thought she'd burst.

“Oh Rey, my sweet, you're an absolute _Seraph!_ ” he chuckled.

“Oh please, Ben, where are my wings?!”

“Hidden under your scarf, of course!”

She silenced him with another kiss.

“Agree to disagree, my love. Come along, let's leave this wretched place and journey home.”

He was in the process of gathering up their things, rolling up the sleeping bag, loose desert clothes ruffled by the morning breeze, when her choice of words hit him.

“'Home?'”

She rolled her eyes, shrugging on her pack.

“Well, _your_ home, love, to be more precise. I'm just a renter.”

“A long-term one, I should hope,” he murmured, his words a statement, though there was a soft, sweet question in his eyes.

Though she hadn't time to answer it, before a melodious, thunderous cry split the air and made them both jump.

“Nine heavens, what-” Kylo seized her hand.

“ _Come on!_ ” he yelled, dragging her outside at a sprint, and clean back across the water over her lily-pad bridge.

On the other side of the water, they spun on the spot, Kylo's eyes turned skyward, looking for what, Rey didn't know.

But then, a brilliant flash of fire was visible above the temple, and Rey pointed, frantic and gasping. He clutched her waist, breathless.

The eight-foot wingspan gleamed like sunlight given solid form, each elegant, six inch-long feather glowing like wistful candlelight as the dawn glanced off its autumnal plumage. It glided with the slightest flick of its wings, flight smooth and effortless to behold, its glowing, long tail guiding it like a ruby-dotted, golden rudder, arching path steady and dance-like as it circled the temple. It whirled in the air, turning over itself, seeming to delight in the simple act of flight, swan's neck arching their way, curious golden eyes inspecting the strange travelers below.

It opened its curved, hawk's beak, raising it to the sky, and let its song ring through the morning, clear and beautiful, enchanting with its melodic, uplifting tune that seemed to fill both Mystics' entire being to the brim with wonder and hope. It's wings became alight with more furious flames on its second pass of the temple, and the heated air carried it further and higher over the pair's heads, as it turned for home and headed back towards the mountains, and the lava flow, climbing higher into the pink and gold sky.

They watched the ablaze, topaz-and-garnet creature and listened to its lilting, sweet song, until it had disappeared completely.

When Rey looked Kylo's way, he was wiping tears from his eyes. the same as she.

“I suppose we can only take that as wondrous sign from the Gods, can't we?” she hiccupped, quite unable to stop smiling.

Kylo sniffed, nodding in agreement.

...Then suddenly held out his hand to her.

“Come dance with me?”

“What? Now?!” she laughed, completely caught off guard. He chortled.

“Yes, my lady, right this minute. But...” he sauntered over to the nearest active flow of lava, dropping his pack at its side, and tentatively stepping into the molasses-slow stream. “...Only if you trust me,” he finished, extending his hand to her again.

Rey stared, perplexed and nervous, shifting from foot to foot.

She threw up her hands, admitting defeat.

“Kylo, _I'm scared._ ” He gave her an encouraging smile, eyes soft and gentle.

“You can do this, my lady, I'm sure of it. You already held this stuff in your hands, months ago. You can stand in it without fear.” Humming anxiously, she wandered closer, setting her pack next to his.

Reaching out slowly, she grasped his hand...and snapped her eyes shut.

“I'm just going to jump in before I change my mind? Catch me, okay?”

“I will.”

She screamed as she leapt, and the chest she slammed against was shuddering with laughter, but though her legs felt something hot and liquid, her boots didn't melt to her skin, nor did her legs begin to burn and flame with the heat.

She opened her eyes with a gasp.

“Ah-ha-HA-HA!!” she laughed in triumph, jumping about in the lava, spinning on the spot, aghast and amazed. “I DID IT!”

“ _Told you!!_ ” She leapt into his arms, legs locking around his waist, and kissed him. He needed a moment to correct his balance, and then his mind was awash in desire.

 _Oh my lady..._ he breathed, molding and devouring her lips.

 _I know, sweetness, I love you too_ , she murmured, fixing him with an extra passionate kiss before releasing the locks at the back of his head, and dropping back down to earth.

His eyes, so doting and reverent and gorgeous to behold in the light of the magma, refused to leave hers as he lifted her hands into their practiced dance posture. He began to lead her in a slow waltz, following the rhythm in his head, or perhaps the lingering memory of the phoenix song, but it mattered not what he had in mind. Regardless, against all logic, they moved as one, stirring the lava and tracing a smooth, wandering path in the river's granite bed.

And they began to smile.

This simple, turning movement, following the figure-eight patterns in their heads, spinning as partners and companions, it was the most right feeling in all the world. It made such beautiful sense, filled their hearts with a warm feeling of rightness, of wholeness. They giggled at stumbles, and welcomed a bit of free-form movement, the rock-bed shaping their steps, and held each other close.

And when Ben lifted her up in his arms, steady and secure, Rey decided.

She didn't know what other opportunities awaited her elsewhere in the galaxy, but she didn't care to explore them. Perhaps there were other men more princely, or more proper, or that would've been sweet to her from the start, but none of that mattered. Not one bit.

Not when Ben was holding her in his gaze so tenderly, smiling so easily at the sight of her happy too.

He spun her under his arm, one last time, hugging her tight to his chest, and Rey swore to herself then, within the next twenty-four hours, she would make her formal declaration and agree to be his wife.

Her heart knew, for damned certain, there was no other Mystic in the galaxy for her.

Ben had her whole heart, forever, and she wanted his for life as well, to share their days and nights, and to tether her soul to his, no matter what troubles came their way.

She pressed a hint of her secret to his lips in the kiss she gave him, and his pleased hum was supremely tempting, urging her to spill her guts this very second.

But no. She wanted to give herself at least a little time, to revel and treasure this feeling of absolutely certainty, before she shared it with him.

She was certain, if her joy was eclipsing her, his would be positively overwhelming if compounded atop it.

“Shall we head home, my lady?” he whispered, enamored and happy. Another peck, as sweet as she could make it.

“Let's, my lord,” she smiled, letting the full meaning of that simple phrase impress her joy into her very bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	36. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo return to the palace.
> 
> Ahsoka instantly bombards Rey with questions, and insists the pair complete their magickal bonding ritual that same day.
> 
> Later, Kylo has one small surprise planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completely optional soundtrack for the section following the time-skip: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D65fbxmVUmc
> 
> &
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJR8tuO-mIU

By noon on the third day, the pair had returned to the Pumice Palace – sweaty and exhausted, but quite content.

“So, showers first, or lunch?” Kylo asked, smiling teasing and light.

“ _Showers,_ ” Rey groaned, longing to shed the layer of sweat and sand that had been accumulating on them in the passing weeks, since their last cleanse at the Emerald Valley falls. He chuckled and pecked her temple.

“Very well, I'll meet you downstairs for food after,” he said, eyes twinkling with mischief. Rey rolled her eyes.

“Why do I get the feeling you're going to request some decadent, indulgent dessert from Daisy for lunch?”

“Hmm-hmm! – maybe because I am? That, and I have a promise to keep,” he said, smile meaningful and sincere.

“Well remembered.” She stretched up for one more tiny smooch, not wanting to spoil the mood with her dreadful breath. “I'll see you in a bit, my love.”

His presence was alight in the Ethereum with relief and joy at hearing her call him by such endearments again, and she returned that light with ease, and a warmth of her own that became entangled with his.

Their intuitions stayed subtly linked, even while Rey showered, so she felt the moment he broke the news of her new living arrangements to Daisy – she screamed in elation. He felt so fulfilled and emboldened by her grateful thanks, like he was doing something absolutely right. As such, Rey was distracted when she emerged, humming happily in her bathrobe.

“So, how was it?!” Ahsoka exclaimed, making her yelp and jump a foot in the air.

“Thirteen Hells, Ahsoka!” But the Astrae had already swarmed her, eagerly clutching her hands.

“You seem happier, that's for certain! Don't leave out a single detail!” Rey sighed and rolled her eyes, smiling nonetheless.

“Yes, Ahsoka, we made up.”

“ _AH!_ Ha-ha-ha!! How wonderful!” Tano squealed, positively giddy “And the make-up sex?” Rey pulled her hands away.

“Didn't happen, Ahsoka...” she groaned, fixing her with an indignant glare. Ahsoka pouted.

“Hmm. Shame. Fear not, I imagine it just had something to do with nerves in the moment. Clearly, you fared well on the hunting front – though perhaps you are a touch skinnier?”

“The deserts were brutal,” Rey said, turning to her vanity and beginning to brush out her wet hair. “Fortunately, we happened across an oasis on our way to the mountain basin – without it, I'm not sure what might have happened. We cut down across the Emerald Valley instead of following around your ridge path.”

Ahsoka grimaced.

“You avoided the snow, at least?” she asked, hopefully.

“I wish. But, at least the cold drove us to share a sleeping bag, and got us talking.” Rey smiled, wistful. “In fact, I'd be surprised if there was anything we neglected to say that night.”

“You had it all out then? That's very good; an excellent, healthy practice,” Tano encouraged, kindly.

Rey's brow furrowed as she disappeared into her closet to dress, leaving her door open a crack so she could keep speaking to Tano freely.

“Besides that, the rest of the trip was largely uneventful. The Nightmare Temple turned out to be an awful idea, though.”

“Pfft! Pray-tell, why?” she said, laughing, unable to comprehend the danger they'd faced. Rey emerged, dressed in a simple blue linen dress.

“Kylo, he was...he attacked by it,” she muttered, twisted her ruby ring round and round her finger. The Astrae's eyes widened, looking genuinely fearful for the first time. “Being in that concentration of darkness was dangerous for him. His – his sire's not very happy with him these days...”

“Oh Gods...Rey, I'm so sorry, I never considered-” Ahsoka sat on the loveseat at the foot of Rey's bed. She took in a deep breath.

“I knew there would be some back-lash at Kylo's turn to you and away from Snoke, but I never expected something of _that_ nature. Stars...we'd best all be on our guard. There's no telling what may happen now...”

Rey's laugh was a nervous, quiet thing.

“What do you mean, Ahsoka?” She waved her away.

“Doesn't matter much now. We'll square with it when the time comes – you leave the support of the family to me. Anything else of note?” Rey searched her thoughts as she slipped on the navy canvas flats, and seemed to glow with joy at the memory.

“We danced in the lava-flow outside of the temple...”

Ahsoka's gasp was a monstrous, delighted thing that startled Rey again.

“ _You did what?!_ ”

“We – we danced? Ahsoka, you have to remember the significance of Nightmare traditions is lost on me-”

“ _You performed the bonding dance!!! Ah-HA-HA!_ ” Rey clapped a hand over her mouth.

“WHAT?! That's what that was?! The scoundrel – Kylo didn't tell me!!” The Astrae giggled like mad, hopping up and down on the spot.

“OF COURSE he wouldn't tell you the significance of it, my dear! What with you being so skittish about the whole matter of marriage in the first place, he wasn't about to state the reason for the dance, for fear it would spook you!”

 _I likely would have agreed to it, even if he had,_ Rey thought, but didn't voice. Tano was still elated with laughter.

“Oh joyous day! My sweet cousin and his lovely lady-!” She sucked in an even bigger gasp. “We must do the magick union today as well then!”

“'Must'?”

“YES – as soon as possible to completely solidify the bonds between you two!”

“Isn't that love-making's aim?” Rey asked, sarcastic. Ahsoka winked.

“Now you're catching on,” she laughed and waved her off “But in all seriousness, Lady Rey, agreed or no, you seem perfectly smitten with my cousin. Will you not complete the bit of magick anyway, even if you're still using your remaining three days to think the matter over?”

“Three days?” Rey started.

“Quite, my lady.”

She did the math in her head.

Yes. It all added up. Their courtship would officially be over in the three days time.

Not that she was planning on waiting that long to give him her answer, but it still shocked her to know she'd come so close to the deadline.

“Stars, the date snuck up on me. But very well, after I eat, I'll indulge you and him in a bit of magick unifying.” Ahsoka squealed, and Rey had to shake her head at this befuddling, owlish Astrae.

She found Kylo downstairs, circling the table of succulent tidbits and sugary morsels Daisy had clearly been prepping painstakingly for their return – it was finger-food-everything, from cheese, grapes, and tiny vegetables, to spiced meats, to sandwiches, to cakes and chocolates.

Her fiancé looked like a cat who'd been caught in the jug of cream, and inordinately casual and dashing in an ivory tunic, earth-tone trousers, and his more scuffed pair of dark, knee-high boots.

“Pardon me for leaping at the opportunity to part-take, my lady,” he grinned, licking clean a whipped-cream covered finger, flushed and gorgeous to her eyes.

“I forgive you this once, dearest,” she sauntered closer, smiling “Given that everything looks fantastically delicious,” she finished, cheekily stealing the strawberry from atop the cream puff on his piled-high plate and popping it into her mouth.

He swiftly seized her in a kiss, though she determinedly wrestled away.

“If you're going to steal my food, sweetness, at least let me have a taste of it!”

“Stuff and nonsense, I'll do no such thing!” she said in a mock haughty voice, picking up a plate and gathering up her own stock of goodies, sitting on the table's edge, grinning. “Before Ahsoka comes screaming in here, I thought you should know I've found out what your little gambit of dancing in the lava-flow meant, and she wants us to perform our magick union right after eating.”

His face scrunched together and lips curled in a guilty grin.

“Dammit, of course she spilled my secret!”

“Why keep it a secret _at all_ , my darling?” she asked, swiftly polishing off her plate in her hunger. He wandered closer and sat by her side.

“I wanted it to just be a quiet moment, between us, without the court members breathing down our necks.”

“That's not what I mean,” she breathed, leaning closer “Why keep it a secret from _me?_ ” A look of shyness brought a morose quality to his expression, and her poor, smitten heart fluttered.

“We'd only just made up. I was worried it I explained the gravity of the gesture, you might...not want to...at least, not until later, and then there would've been an audience and all this fuss, I-” he sighed and took her hand.

“Forgive me for not explaining my full intentions, my lady. I didn't do it to deceive you.” She pecked the tip of his nose and Ben turned scarlet.

“I know, sweetness. But you needn't have. The ceremony of the dance wouldn't have frightened me away...” His thumb brushed over the back of her hand so tenderly, it nearly loosened her tongue to drop her secret acceptance. But Ahsoka was probably minutes, if not seconds away from coming in. She'd tell him tonight then, when they were in bed and wouldn't be interrupted or made a spectacle of.

“That makes me very happy, my lady,” he murmured, tilting his head to rest his forehead against hers, hazel eyes golden with his affection again. She giggled, presence aflame with delight.

“So, will you explain about this magick union business, then? Will we be expected to make anything specific?” Kylo leaned back, smile a bit cheeky.

“No. There's no traditional object or token required for magick unions in Nightmare courtships. Usually the courting pair makes some sort of structure or statue – perhaps on rare occasion bring to life a creature of legend, that represents their shared desires and hopes for the union.”

Rey frowned.

“I don't know that I can make something that lifeless, my dear. It's not in my nature.” Kylo's brows shot up in worry.

“And I do not know that my powers are capable of bringing anything _to_ life.”

“You can't grow anything?” Rey started. He laughed.

“I'm no Gaia, Rey – creation magick like yours isn't exactly commonplace.” He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and though little shivers broke out on her bare shoulders, the touch soothed her.

“I can fuel and hide and destroy, but I don't think there's much I can make or heal.”

“As an Inferi, perhaps. But what about before?” His brow became lined with confusion. Best to rethink her approach. She didn't want to be unkind. She smiled, mischievous and laughter-filled.

“What about _you_ , Ben Solo? What hidden magicks have you got locked away, hmmm?” she murmured, mimicking the scholarly, curious tone he'd taken with her during her magick training.

His smile was an easy, beautiful, brilliant thing, as was his laugh.

“I don't deny the possibility, my darling, but it has been quite a while! My birth magicks are not just abilities I could access overnight! And, whatever other kind of Mystic I was at a young age, I no longer recall. I always had a proclivity for the Inferi arts, and took to them like fire to kindling,” he said with a shrug.

“Still,” Rey countered “it doesn't mean you couldn't put your Inferi magicks to use on something living – say, nurture the volcanic soil it would grow in, perhaps?” He grinned.

“What exactly did you have in mind, my lady?” he whispered, conspiratorial.

“ _There you are!!_ ” exclaimed Tano, charging into the room with Maul and Tyranus in tow, looking very annoyed about their required presence. “Stop _gawking_ at each other for a moment and get out into the garden! You'll need space for this, regardless of what comes of your union! COME ON, COME ON, we're burning daylight!”

With a sigh, the pair rose from the table and followed the group outside, hands still clutched tight.

Ahsoka lead them to Rey's plot in the garden. In her absence, some of the less hearty plants had wilted, but given that she and Ben were about to create something really special, she didn't mourn for their loss too badly.

Once she'd rounded the space barefoot and laid the mumps, larkspur, and lilies to rest, their remains acting as a solid fertilizer, and was greeted by a yipping BeeBee, eager to jump into her arms and lick her face in greeting, she returned to Ben's side.

“Hello, little one,” he murmured, doting and sweet, scratching behind the fox' ears “Have you been behaving yourself while we were gone?”

Maul grumbled.

“He gave the guards a run for their money the other day – something about a stolen key card? Fools couldn't catch the fox without my help. But, at least, the creature helped break up the palace's monotony,” he said with shrug.

“Stars, Marquess Maul, was that almost an affectionate comment?” Rey asked, grinning. The Daemon leveled her with a hard gaze that lacked any real threat.

Ahsoka clapped her hands, drawing the couples' attention.

“Now then, the general procedure is simple enough. You'll need to take a seat, facing each other. Focus on your breathing, and fall into a meditative state. Once afloat in the Ethereum, you should be able to reach out and cast a spell together. And, it's important to keep your hands clasped. A physical connection can greatly help ground you,” The Marchioness rattled off, scooping BeeBee out of Rey's arms. “I'll leave it to you to decide what it is you make, alright?” she said, with a wink.

Rey wiped her palms on her dress, a twinge nervous, sharing a confirming nod with Kylo before moving into the empty space she'd created in the plot of dirt.

They did as instructed, and, the longer Rey focused on her breathing, the easier it was for the gazes' of the three witnesses to fade into the background, and for Kylo's hands holding hers to become her sole connection on the physical plain. Her mind drifted with peaceful ease, until she was buoyed and light among the stardust.

Ben's swirling nebulous cloud of sparks and shadows was right before her, where it needed to be. If she squinted through the haze, she could see his face and form, his raw presence.

 _So...what, in all the stars, should we make?_ He said, chuckling, bewildered, and plainly a bit nervous too.

 _I wasn't exactly given much time to wonder about it myself,_ she breathed, smile hesitant.

_What does your heart desire to create?_

Rey searched herself.

_Something alive. Something that can take on an existence of its own without being melded or shaped or cut. But I don't want something as temporary as a flower – I want it to be sturdy, strong, to last._

_Well, that makes it rather difficult for our abilities to fit together..._ he murmured, anxious. _Unless we create some sort of living stone, something amorphous and volcanic, perhaps?_

 _Kylo, have you ever actually_ tried _to grow something before, or have you just assumed it was beyond your capabilities?_

This stalled him.

_...Okay, so I haven't actually tried-_

_Then I have total faith that the feat should be possible!_

_Not to sound argumentative, darling, but_ why?! He said, chest shuddering with laughter. She gave his hands a squeeze.

_Because the one thing you need to understand and fixate on to allow something to take root, or grow, or blossom isn't construction, or healing, or something that alchemical. You need only think of love._

His smile was a timid thing.

_Just that simple, huh?_

_Truly. Don't overthink it. Let's just..._ she chortled, flushing _Let's just think of it as joining our love together, and that will do the trick._

 _We still haven't decided what we're growing!_ he laughed.

 _Any ideas?_ she smiled. He rolled his eyes.

 _Stars, something that grows and lives but is sturdy and has permanence? I don't know, a tree?_ She softened and his was presence was aflame.

_A tree. That'll do nicely._

_A flowering tree – so it's obvious you've gifted it your sweet touch._ She looked inward, smiling gorgeously.

_We'll leave the colors of the blooms up to fate._

They focused their magicks to the task. Kylo's fire fueled the soil around them, giving it warmth and mineral strength. Rey focused on the seed, the roots, forming them out of the raw energy of the earth and he encouraged them to spread and dig deep, the gesture like a sweet caress of a lover's shoulders at dawn.

It was a spark igniting a pyre and setting it blazing. The strength of their unity left them gasping.

Their might collided and exploded in light and warmth, the pinks and oranges and golds of a striking, Mustafarian sun-set, but as gentle as a dusting of snow in the Emerald Valley, bright and airy. It was the _clinking_ crystals of Mustafarian bull, and the thundering of volcanic clouds over the plain. It was the wind through the grass and the goosebumps on their arms from the chill breeze. It was a misty morning, heavy on one's skin, and a fiery eruption from Mustafar's tumultuous crust. It was Ben's sweet kiss and Rey's fingers digging through his hair.

It was passion and love and comfort and unity all their ardor incarnate and blossoming.

The wide trunk burst forth from the earth, climbing, the spiral of branches unfurling and extending towards the sky, tiny green leaves like flecks of hope against the gray afternoon. Millions of dark buds sprung into being beside the bushel of leaves, trailing the line of each elegant, searching branch.

When they opened their eyes, wonder swept through them in an instant. They rose, aghast, taking the two steps to plant their palms on the rough, candid bark. They could hardly believe they'd made something so beautiful out of nothing.

 _Is this what it's like to conceive a child?_ Rey was compelled to wonder. But Kylo gave no comment, palm brushing over the bark like he was greeting an old friend.

“Feel it?” he asked, wonder-struck. Rey looked within the living thing they'd made.

There it was – starlight mixed with nebulous night, perfectly and permanently entwined, turning and dancing and curling about one another. They seemed to sing together, a universally righteous hum, somehow still quiet and modest.

“I do,” she breathed, and she accepted his tearful victory kiss with a full, full heart. Their fingers overlapped on the bark as they continued to take in the sight.

“It's so beautiful, Rey – _breathtakingly_ beautiful...”

“How long, do you think, before it starts flowering?” Rey said, wiping away her joyous tears.

“Days, my sweet,” he laughed, pointing at the leaves that were already thicker, fuller, darker in their canopy, even after just a few short minutes.

“And I think, if I'm seeing correctly, the flowers will be a brilliant shade of fuchsia purple,” Ahsoka said, stepping up beside them. She clapped them both on the shoulder, lightly. “Well done, you two – it's lovely.”

“I expected something more...metallic and narcissistic from you, cousin,” Maul grumbled “But, this is a good deal more lasting then what I had pictured,” he said, nodding in a satisfied sort of way. Rey glanced Earl Tyranus' way, curious about his input.

He shrugged.

“A living being for a young love. Appropriate,” and with that, he swept his cloak about him and headed back to the front door.

Kylo managed to bite back his chortle, but in her mind, he was laughing riotously, as was she.

“Take care to get some rest at _some_ point after your long journey, my dears. You both need it, and have earned it,” said the Marchioness, red eyes glinting with mischief as she took her husband by the arm and left them to be.

Kylo quirked an eyebrow her way in question.

“The Marchioness has anticipated us being all over one another for ages now, and I've had to keep disappointing her,” Rey simpered.

“Mayhaps we should do something about that?” he teased, brown eyes glinting with burgundy heat. Rey laughed easily.

“Maybe – but not if you keep teasing me about it!” Ben threw back his head and laughed, and the sound was glorious.

“Alright, my lady, come along then!” he said, leading her by the arm to the back of the palace.

“And where are you taking me now?” she grinned.

“Strictly speaking, our pilgrimage is incomplete,” he said, donning his helmet and nodding to a guard. The gray uniformed man punched a code into a metal panel on the back wall, and the ground in front of them began to part and open like a metallic maw, revealing chrome metal stairs, becoming dusted with sand, that marked the ground entrance to the massive underground hanger, hidden beneath the rock and sienna-tone dirt.

“We've one biome left to explore, my lady – my personal favorite at that.”

Rey put two and two together and glowed with her grin.

“My dear...are you planning on taking me flying?”

Even his helmet couldn't hope to hide his incandescent smile.

~*~*~*~

_The Plexip_ 's cockpit was a two-seater, not so luxuriously expansive that a couple could ballroom dance in the gleaming silver bridge, but not so cramped that there wasn't a thin aisle between the seats and a foot or two of space at their backs. The rouge, leather seats were roomy and so comfortable that Rey could sink into them and sleep, if excitement hadn't set her heart racing with adrenaline, and their feet running to get to his transport as fast as possible.

She strapped herself in, positively giddy as she looked out the front window at the rows of craft ahead of them.

“Stars, I can't believe we're doing this!” she exclaimed, feet jogging in place. Kylo could only chortle, fixing her with a honey-sweet look once his diaphragm had stilled and he buckled in himself. He tugged on his leather pilots gloves, tightening the straps at his wrists and flexing out the tight fabric. His fingers flew expertly over the controls, flicking switches and tapping buttons like a practiced dance, powering up the ship and getting all the systems in check as only he could.

He pressed the intercom as the _The Plexip_ pounced smoothly into a vertical hover, Rey's stomach flipping, revealing the sight of the sunlight-strewn bay doors wide open ahead of them.

“ _Plexip_ requesting all-clear for take-off?” he asked, fingers of his free-hand drumming excitedly on the armrest of his chair.

“ _System's diagnostic check...analyzing..._ ” huffed the static-filled voice of a tower controller on the other end. “ _All systems green, you are clear for take-off_ Plexip.”

His fingers fluttered over to the center console, seizing the throttle with undisguised zeal.

“Wait, you're not planning to launch out of the hanger at full speed, are you?!” Rey asked, surprised.

The grin he gave her was positively devilish.

“BEN-!”

“Hold onto something!!” he guffawed, and Rey gripped the armrests with a yelp.

_The Plexip_ launched forward with a humming roar, shooting through the hanger at break-neck speed and rocketing into the distant blue. Kylo pulled the controls with glee, and took them on a tight, careening loop about the Pumice Palace, Rey shrieking with delight, stomach somersaulting. After two swift laps about the gleaming, onyx towers, Kylo shoved the control yoke forward, sending them shooting into the atmosphere, his soul ablaze every time he pulled a terrified, joyous scream from his fiancé.

He swerved among the mountain passes in a reckless, zigzagging chase – after all, what did the speed matter without the grounding perspective of obstacles zooming past the windshield?

“KYLO!!” Rey screamed, after their second near-miss of a jagged peak, spewing magma.

“Oh, have a little more faith in me, my lady!!” he cackled, sending them careening into the Emerald Valley, skidding over the tree-tops and shooting past the waterfalls casting rainbows on the rocks. Approaching the basin's end, he launched them skyward again, climbing up and up until, finally, he eased back on the yoke, and let them level out, speed settling into a steady constant, as he revealed to his love the beauty of Mustafar's most secret vista.

“Oh Ben...” Rey breathed, heart beginning to slow again, but growing delightfully warm in the process. The cumulonimbus clouds from above were dappled in golden and blush-tinted light from the gradually setting sun, and in the bright light, the clouds didn't seem quite so smoggy and gray – more of a silvery-white against the pale blue sky.

He smiled at her delight, his hold on the controls loose as he drunk in the sight of her joy like ice water on a blistering-hot day.

The longer they stayed up here, the more brilliant the colors would become – orange-yellow and vibrant pink and sweet fuchsia – he knew.

Whenever the galaxy, and the duties of Emperor's Hand became too much, this was the place he had always come to get away from it all and think, to see something beautiful and untainted, that brought him easy peace.

Not unlike her.

It was only natural he wanted to share it with her, now.

“Sweetheart, it's so beautiful up here...” Her gaze turned to him, and he was helpless when her soft brown eyes fixed all her love and adoration on him like that. “Thank you for showing me.”

“How could I not share my favorite sight in all the galaxy with the woman I love?” he breathed, boyish and tender and her pulse quickened again.

“This your secret garden, then, your place of escape?” His eyes darted back to scrutinize her. She blushed.

“Sorry. You were thinking rather loudly over there.”

“Hah! My thoughts are yours to plumb at your leisure, my lady...” His heartbeat fluttered as he contemplated his next words, idly keeping them on a steady course.

“As is everything, for that matter, my lady. I am yours, entirely – body and soul,” he murmured, and Rey's stomach twisted with longing.

He moved his hand back to the throttle, setting them on a steady cruise control so he had one less thing to worry about.

“Regardless of what you should choose...”

Something cold and sad rose in Rey's presence, like a dark wave over a pale beach, and it made his heart plunge into his stomach, though he couldn't place why.

“You've been counting the days, have you?” she murmured.

“Every one, my lady. I am...” he sighed, giving her a sad smile “a man of honor when it comes to deals first, and a powerful lord second. Though, you have certainly made it easy to forget at times that I went these past months without a definite answer.”

Her hand came to rest atop his, clutching his fingers and the throttle, breath quickening as she tossed the words into the open air.

“Wonder no longer, my dear. I will marry you. I want so much to marry you!” Rey gasped, and it was the singular, most beautiful sound Ben had ever heard.

_The Plexip_ dropped into a sharp nose-dive.

“ _BEN!!_ ”

He yanked back on the controls, and, with an urgency bordering on frantic, drew them aright, tapping away at the console, bewildering her until _The Plexip_ spoke to them in a mechanical, feminine voice.

_Course mapped. Auto-pilot engaged._

Ben couldn't get his seat-belt loose, fumbling and cursing for several minutes, while Rey undid hers in a second. He finally snapped the thing open and collided with her as he stood and tripped over his seat, gasping when he drew her into a kiss.

It seemed as if he was trying to devour her, desperate and heated and seeking closeness like a man possessed. His hand clutched the back of her head, fingers tangled in her feather-light, auburn locks, ensuring it would have been impossible to escape his hungry lips, even if she wanted such a thing.

When he parted to breathe, it was with a moan that made a fire erupt in her belly.

“Say it again. Say it again, my sweet,” he gasped, yearning.

“I want to be your wife, Ben! I'm yours, for life, sweetheart,” she breathed, and felt his chest stutter with a barely repressed jubilant sob beneath her palm as he dove back in.

He was going to drown her in sloppy and passionate kisses – he was, _he was_. He dug his fingers into her back, into her ribs to ground himself, to implant in his brain that it wasn't a dream, that her presence erupting with multi-colored, diamond-bright joy in the Ethereum wasn't a trick of his mind.

The tears slipped from his eyes during his next break to pant, lungs aching for air.

“My _wife_ ,” he gasped, caressing her cheeks, brushing back her hair, as Rey nodded in elated affirmation, lips red.

“Yours. And you'll be my husband!” she laughed, tears glittering like bits of crystal in her eyes. He pressed his forehead against hers, rocking them on the spot as he let his rapturous sobs happen as they pleased for a long, shuddering minute of delight.

“By the Gods...I think you've just made me the happiest man alive!” he huffed, incapable of toning down his smile even a smidge.

“I don't doubt it, my love!” Rey giggled, fixing him with another smooch that made his world sway on its axis, his moan equal parts joy and want.

_Ben...!_

A beautiful, longing sound, his name in her head, and a warning.

“Sorry, my love! Your kisses set my world on fire...” he purred, and she leapt up, arms locking behind his neck, tongue delving into his mouth, and he keened, collapsing against the side of his seat.

 _Make every sound you wish, my dear. I want to hear them all!_ she exclaimed, heart seeming to burst. He gripped her tighter, capturing her bottom lip between his teeth.

Her moan was a surprised, desirous thing, and he felt his ears flame.

 _My love, your moans are as gorgeous as the rest of you..._ stars _I adore you..._ he groaned, and she clambered off of him again, sated, her face burning.

“I think they'll need a bit of work yet, but thank you,” she breathed, brushing his dark locks back into a state of order, mussed dreadfully by her fingers.

“Ackgh – don't fuss with me, sweetheart, it's fine.”

“It'll be _my job_ to fuss with you soon, Ben, as your wife,” she beamed, stroking his cheek.

“How soon?” he breathed, so hopeful she wanted to burst into an incandescent ball of light.

“You tell me! How soon can we have everything put together?” she laughed.

He let out a whine and drew her in, warm and pliant as his lips enveloped hers.

“Stars, you're too good to be true – to be _real_ and _mine_...” he breathed, parting with a sweet _pop_.

“I am. I'm here to stay, Ben,” she murmured, as his nose brushed against hers, eyes full of love.

He contemplated the question in earnest, bottom lip worried between his teeth.

“I think if I say anything less than three weeks, Daisy and all the palace staff will quit in protest!” he laughed.

“Three weeks, then,” Rey murmured, kneading his full, gorgeous mouth just one last time, reveling in the softness of his lips with a high hum. She pulled away to him shaking his head.

“My gorgeous Duster...my sweet Lady Rey...” he whispered, pulling them out from between the seat and sinking to the floor, settling on one knee.

She hooted with laughter.

“Haven't we done this already?!”

“When, properly, if not now, my darling – tender – minx?” he asked, kissing her knuckles after each endearment, beaming with pride as his thumb brushed over the ruby on her finger.

“Minx?!?”

“For being as devious as the vixen you call a pet! For sweeping me off my feet – for ripping my schemes from my hands and turning them against me; I wanted to delight _you_ with this flight, if you'll recall!”

“I believe in mutual delight, thank you very much...” she smirked, the irony that his statement described far more than just this one moment in their relationship not lost on her.

Her expression as she gazed at him, no doubt, was equally as saccharine as his.

“And would you _please_ get up? What is your aim?! You've already sworn fealty to me a dozen times over!”

He guffawed and rose.

“Fair enough, my sweet!” Then his grin turned mischievous “I suppose it's better to save my oaths for the day they'll matter most, when I swear myself to you, forever...” The warm kiss he placed on the back of her hands breathed such warmth onto her knuckles that her heart skipped over a beat.

“I can stand to wait three weeks...” she laughed.

And his smile was akin to the sun itself, painting the sky beyond the windshield in rose-violet, ardent hues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3 <3


	37. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo spend the late night hours exploring one another's bodies and their relationship's intimacy.
> 
> In the morning, Kylo makes a crucial decision regarding his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update because 'tis the season. ;)

Upon landing, the Earl was quick to drag Ben to a mandatory briefing with his sire about their courting pilgrimage, and after slipping a bit of courage into his presence with a squeeze of his hand, Rey let him go. She needed a break, anyhow.

They'd hardly stopped kissing to breathe, curled up together in Ben's pilot chair until _The Plexip_ 's auto-pilot had brought them back to the hanger in a gentle descent.

She spotted Daisy in the halls and hollered after her, asked for Paige to bring her her dinner, and the smile that Daisy shot at her in confirmation contained more joy than was reasonable for the request. Rey returned it, knowing exactly why the head of the household was so at ease.

In the meantime, Rey collapsed on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Well, BeeBee, I did it...I can't believe it, but I did it!” she whispered, mindlessly petting the fox as he attempted to burrow into her hair. “Get used to this place, buddy. This is _really_ going to be our new home...”

Of course, Rey couldn't have reveled in her joy for more than five minutes before Ahsoka came charging in, screaming and cheering at the top of her lungs, hugging her and laughing. Fortunately, she didn't grill her for the details, leaving the tale of her actual acceptance a mystery, fixating instead on discussing wedding details while Rey had her dinner – the date, invitation's color and letterhead, and guest list, a practical place to begin the conversation.

This turned Rey's mind back to the important matter of Ben's parents. Rey decided, as an Astrae and her one confidante in the palace who was her senior, Ahsoka could be trusted with her debacle, and explained the whole story – clarifying what their fight had been about in the process.

“I'll drop by security later and ask if he did send a warning message to his parents to turn around. I'm suspicious that he may have not, after the fact. My cousin was rather heartbroken after your argument, after all – could barely tolerate Imperial meetings.”

“Thank you, Ahsoka. And...if their ship hasn't turned around...?” Ahsoka smiled.

“Provide them with landing codes?”

“Well – at least don't let them get shot out of the sky. I want to discuss the matter with Ben thoroughly, but I doubt that'll happen tonight.”

Tano quirked a suggestive eyebrow.

“Would you give it a rest already?!” Tano guffawed “Okay – fine! Maybe, but...just maybe.” Rey consented, something warm stirring her belly at thought of exploring something more passionate with Ben.

“Well, either way – best of luck, my lady,” Ahsoka said, gifting her a wink and sweeping out of the room, fuchsia skirts billowing as she headed off to her work.

The hours passed had passed with their discussion, and the sky darkened. Rey grew listless after a few minutes of horticulture reading, unable to sit still. Her heart was thumping in a nervous, eager staccato, and she hadn't a clue what to do with her energy.

Well, she mused, at the very least, a warm, cleansing shower to freshen up, even if nothing happened, couldn't hurt. Still, even after the hot water loosened her muscles, her heart was racing as her gaze flitted over nightgowns in her closet.

She didn't want to be too overt, but even still...

Her heart and mind agreed on a light, baby-doll, cream gown, with loose, three-quarter sleeves, a wide, circular neckline, and skirt ending just under her knee – providing a smidge of cleavage, though it was hardly lingerie. Still, she threw on her robe over-top while she waited idly for Ben to-

_Knock-knock-knock!_

She gasped.

_Would you like to join me, my love?_

_Yes, please!_

_Heh-heh-heh...just give me a minute to change, alright?_

_Okay!_

She waited outside his door for quite a long minute, heart _thumping_ giddily, before he whispered an _okay_ in her mind.

She stepped into his suite, question about how his meeting had gone dying on her tongue at the sight she saw.

Dressed in a simple, soft, dark pants and t-shirt, he held out a leafy bundle of flowers to her, the blooms tiny and delicate and baby-blue, hazel gaze deep and liquid with tenderness and veneration.

But more than the adorable flowers, it was something her intuition picked up on, tucked away within their stems, seeming to furl right out of the blue blooms...

Warmth trembled and shot into her stomach, swirling over her hips and rushing back over her shoulders in the form of chills.

“You grew them yourself...” He shrugged, as if he hadn't completely denied his ability to do that very thing a handful of hours ago.

“You have a habit of completely revolutionizing everything I thought I knew, darling,” he said, lips lilting with sweet teasing.

“...Is that what you told your sire?” she hesitated to ask, inching closer, fingers knit nervously. Ben threw up his eyebrows, flippant.

“He just asked particulars about the path we took and general questions about how we got back on speaking terms. I gave him equally vague answers in kind,” he shrugged.

She'd drawn near enough the bed to drop onto the duvet, knees turned towards him. She reached for his bouquet, heart impossibly full with warmth. His loving grin returned.

“And here you are, growing me Forget-Me-Nots. The flower of true love?” She held the little blooms to her nose, finding them lightly sweet and fragrant.

“It seemed appropriate. But, just keep this between you and me; you needn't give me a response,” he whispered conspiratorial. She giggled. “It seems unfair for you to have to think of a follow-up to 'true love'...”

Rey set the blooms aside and bit her bottom lip.

“I can think of one...”

She took a breath and dove in, kneading and tugging and impressing all her longing on his lips. He groaned and drew her closer, his presence awash with wine-colored desires, dark and honeyed. She dared settle in his lap, leaving little room for confusion.

“Rey?” he murmured, pulling away to meet her eyes, pupils blown wide. She flushed, and untied the belt of her plush robe, letting it fall open and reveal the nightgown underneath. She shivered at the sudden absence of warmth, and her nipples pebbled _and the way he was gazing at her..._

“I want to touch you tonight, Ben. Really get to feel you,” she breathed, respiring excitedly. He huffed in amazed laughter, and she felt a twitch beneath her, making her jump a bit in surprise.

“Oh! Heh...If that's alright, of course,” she murmured, trying to ignore the way her stomach coiled tight with want at the feel of him hardening under her.

He set upon her, kissing her rapturous and deep, nibbling her lips and making her gasp.

“ _Yes!_ ” he hissed, at a whisper, hips canting against her a bit and she gasped at what she felt against her. Gods, everything was aflame, but how powerful it made her feel to not fear the burning. “Yes, please, my lady – explore my body's every secret!” he murmured, taking to devouring her neck, nipping and licking and worshipping. Desire was hot and liquid between her legs and it was starting to pool.

“ _Oh!_ Ben, my sweet – stars, you make me feel so desirous with just your kisses!” she panted, and he all but growled against her lips when he kissed her again, making her clench her thighs together, instinctively.

“But I should hope...my lady will reveal to me the treasures of her flesh as well? Teach me how to pleasure her?” His eyes were almost entirely black now.

Her face was flaming, but her heart was sure.

“Yes! Of course I – Gods, I want to feel your hands on me!” Ben fell, pushing her down and turning her with him so they lay on their sides, legs entangled, as they drunk off each other, lips restless and yearning for more contact, more caresses and tugs and heat.

In their fervent kissing, their hips mistakenly aligned, and when Rey bucked her hips after a luxurious kiss at her neck, her moan a soft, tender thing, they both groaned.

“Oh – oh Gods!” he exclaimed, almost unable to catch his breath, gripping her wrists.

“Stars, that was good...can I do it again?” she huffed.

“ _Yes!!_ ”

She chortled with glee and experimented, rolling her hips, Ben directing her just a bit with his hands, nudging her rear, until they found the perfect, blissful angle.

“ _Ben!_ ” Rey cried, collapsing against his shoulder as his fingers sunk deep into the curves of her hips. It was heavenly to be this close to one another, to feel their shared desires so plainly, so physically.

He groaned, long and yearning.

“Rey...my sweet, perfect minx, _Gods_ your hips are incredible!” He moved with her, canting into her, creating an extra bit of added friction that only drove her pleasure higher, her nightgown becoming damp.

“You feel – so good too, I – _ooh!_ ” She lifted her chin, begging for kisses again, and he gladly obeyed. They worked each other into a pleasurable delirium, panting, until eventually, Rey had to still his hips.

“ _Ah!_ Sweetheart, stop! I'm a bit – heh – overstimulated...” He hummed in understanding, pecking her forehead.

“I know the feeling, darling.”

“Huh – yes?”

His face turned beet-red.

“Before our feud...on nights we didn't share a bed, my mind would swarm with thoughts of you...” She ducked her head, her whole body seeming to flush, but she hardly wanted him to stop.

“But no matter how many times I took myself in hand, it never seemed to fully satisfy – only leave me aching from excess, especially at the head.” He laughed into his hand, turning redder, if such a thing was possible. “Stars, I'm embarrassing myself!”

“Not hardly – it's good to know you can get that sensation too. Honestly, run the risk of over-sharing. All information is good information where I'm concerned.” He chuckled, put at ease again.

“Good to know.”

“And as for a lack of satisfaction from your own hand, mayhaps I can help with that?” she suggested.

He shot up, not having to be told twice, and not unlike his seat-belt, seemed incapable of untying his pajama pants.

“Let me, dearest,” she said, hands covering his and taking over the task, eyeing the bulge in his pants with growing anticipation and slight nerves.

“It won't bite, darling. And neither will I, for that matter – not unless you want me too,” he murmured, pecking her head and reading her thoughts.

“Still...every little thing is new and exciting and terrifying,” she laughed, the drawstrings loose now. She took a breath, and he lifted his hips to help her.

She started just slightly when he popped out, so physically eager, but that wasn't what sent such a raw thrill through her. For a while, she just stared at the hefty girth of five, and length of six inches she'd already felt, drinking in the sight of the slick, leaking head, the red and pink flush, the taught, full stones, the modest bit of dark curls at the base, and the pronounced, deep blue veins, his manhood standing proud and hard with arousal.

“Rey?” he asked, leaning closer to her, cuddling. “Are you alright? You've turned scarlet.”

“I just-” she was gasping, an utter mess.

For all her experimentation, she hadn't prepared for how completely filled with desire her body would be. “I knew I'd like you but – but I didn't...I didn't think I'd like the sight of you this much!” she stammered, flustered.

“Oh...” he smiled, thoroughly flattered. She laughed at herself, groaning in embarrassment. “Hush, my minx, don't be so cruel to yourself...” he said, snuggling against her temple.

She took an excited breath.

“So...could you show me how?” she smiled. He bit his lip, smiling, and took her hand in hers, guiding it over and wrapping it around him slowly.

“You're so warm...” she breathed. He laughed, a bit beyond words. The unfamiliarity and pride of having her hand around him was indescribably amazing.

He guided her hand in long, even strokes, up and down his shaft, hand slowly dropping away as she got the hang of it.

“Anything in particular I can do that you like?” she said, voice soft and lilting. He whimpered and she gasped as her nightgown drenched further.

“ _Thirteen Hells, Rey_ , don't – don't say things like that! I could lose my mind from the touch of your sweet hand alone!”

“Is there anything I shouldn't do then, anything that would overstimulate or hurt?” she exclaimed. He chuckled.

“Don't wax the head. And maybe don't go blistering fast.”

“But would you mind a faster pace?” she said, picking up her strokes a bit.

“ _No! Not at all!_ ” he gasped, panting.

Gods, the things it was doing to her body and mind to know she was giving him pleasure...

“What about a slight twist?” she asked, trying to turn her wrist a smidge as she stroked.

“Ah – _ah!_ That's good too!” he groaned, hips starting to buck into her hand. She inched closer, trying to curl around him, be close to him as he panted in pleasure.

“And...to help you come?” she breathed, closer to his ear then she'd intended, her thighs clenching, impulsive and yearning.

“ _Rey..._ ” he growled, dangerously, body giving a shudder. But his eyes lost some of their darkness upon alighting on her earnest smile. “ _Grip a bit harder...really attend to the ridge on the under-side..._ ”

She followed his instructions, and when he lost the ability to speak entirely, she went a bit faster, hoping...

“ _Gagh – gagck!_ ” His noises were a half grunt, half gasp against her neck, and he released, seed coming out in three large, healthy spurts, spilling onto his thighs, pants, and the sheets. He caught his breath in the crook of her neck, and she kissed his temples and cheeks, even his flushed lips once to pass the time.

“Oh, my sweet Seraph...” he purred, nudging her face towards him for a kiss once he'd come back down to earth. “You're so perfect...” She shook her head.

“On the contrary, I think desiring my future husband, and wanting to learn him and bring him a bit of pleasure is rather normal.”

His kiss was rapturous and slow.

“Still. I thank you for that delicious bit of it.” She huffed with laughter.

“It's going to get a bit exhausting if we thank each other for every pleasurable experience, every-time.” He snuggled her neck and she giggled, tickled.

“Only the special occasions, then. And this being the first, it is rather special...”

“Even if it's just mutual touching?” she asked, mildly, as he rose, reaching for the tissues on his nightstand to clean himself up, tugging his waistband back up and over his softened length.

His gaze turned enamored again.

“Sweetheart, it is far and beyond a 'just'.” Rey melted, beaming, as she searched her fingers for any residual Ben. Surprisingly, there was none, but upon resting her hand on her left hip, it came away wet, her three middle fingers gathering up a stray bit of thin, filmy white seed from her nightgown.

He reached towards her, tissue in hand.

“Let me get that for-”

She popped the three fingers into her mouth, and his jaw hit the floor. She mused over his taste.

Salty mostly, thicker than water but not mucousy, it didn't stick her tongue unpleasantly. And...something musky and savory that was uniquely his. She hummed.

“Ahsoka made it sound like it would taste horrendous. It's really just a thicker, saltier version of your saliva...” She giggled, unprompted “It's got a bit of your spice too. It's nice.”

Ben tackled her, clutching her like the dearest thing in the universe. She gasped against the desire of his kisses, and each one seemed to accompanied by a rapturous groan against her lips.

“ _Lady Rey, you will surely make my heart rupture!_ ” he rasped, lifting her into his lap, moaning against her mouth.

“I just wanted to find out how I felt about your taste! I didn't mean anything by it, one way or the other!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands to prevent him from furthering his onslaught.

“And it was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen in my life!” he breathed, going for her neck instead, sending her keening with want. The sound seemed to remind him of their purpose.

“Your turn, my wondrous darling...”

“Stars...okay,” she breathed, nervous and excited. She turned about in his lap, settling between his crossed legs, and pulling her nightgown up over her hips.

While Ahsoka had been plentiful in her suggestions, Rey had been rather indifferent to matters of shaving her thatch. She'd decided on cleaning things up and making it smaller, but beyond making her lips easier to access, she didn't think Ben would be too fussy either way. He certainly didn't seem put off by the way he was stroking her thighs...

“Ben...”

“Hmmm?” he hummed, venerating her neck tenderly. She spread her legs, taking his hands.

“I appreciate your sweetness to no end, my love. But I'm already thoroughly excited...”

He gasped as his fingers parted her lips at her direction, gently searching her center, stomach roiling at the sight of her pink and flushed for him.

“ _Stars,_ you're sopping!” She moaned, jumping when his fingers sweetly glanced over her clit. He was humming, delighted, still kneading her neck.

“My darling...my fantasies about your hot, soaked flower can't compare to reality,” he murmured, stroking his slicked fingers up and down her lips, stroking her whole sex, worshipful and slow.

“ _Ben!_ ” she gasped “I pictured your fingers on me so many times, but I couldn't have imagined...Gods, I love your touch!”

He kissed below her ear, nibbled her lobe, and she shuddered deliciously.

“Show me, my lady, show me how to worship you, satisfy you...” Rey directed his fingers, panting in excitement, one hand parting her lips wide, the other becoming drenched in her nectar, two fingers shown how to tease and pleasure her little pearl, the soft, swirling, indirect circles intoxicating.

Rey was quick to cry out and collapse against his shoulder.

“ _My lady..._ ” he growled, and she dug her fingers into his thighs for purchase. “Sing for me, my love – let me hear how I make you feel...”

Rey no longer bit her lip or shut her throat as she had in practice, she let the wanton sounds loose, in time with the waves of pleasure within her.

“Ben, you're so good!” she cried. “And here I was, worried, about how tender or rough you'd be but – _mmrgh!_ You're perfect!”

“I do aim to please, my sweet...” he sighed, reveling in her sounds “Direct me, my lady. Slower, faster, a different spot? I know your whole sex can delight you.”

“A little – higher, closer to my clit, and – and faster!” she panted, tumbling in the waves of her desires. She was already approaching her end, so eager and wanting when it was his hands bringing to her to her peak.

He did as she asked, and she began bucking into his fingers, mewling.

“ _Rey!_ ” he moaned, kissing her ardently, even if he was swift about it so he could breathe. “My darling, the ecstasy in your presence is something else! Hells, you're exquisite!!” She moaned against his neck, a shudder of pleasure rocking through her.

“My dear – faster, please don't stop! I'm nearly there!” He accelerated further, fingers sloshing about in her center, lips kneading her neck. She trembled, walls jumping, eager for the end, but suddenly tense, difficult to release.

She whined in frustration. Gods, why would her body make her afraid now?!

He sensed her trouble as acutely in her mind as if the thought were his own.

_Oh sweetheart, come undone. Fear not, I'll catch you..._

His words did the trick. Her wave crested and she yelled his name, shaking.

“Don't stop!! _Please don't stop – MMMRRGHH!!_ ” The rapture roared through her beautifully, leaving numerous smaller tremors in their wake, and a feeling of utter bliss as his circles slowed to a stop.

She'd just come all over her fiancé's fingers. She didn't think anything could feel this good, this right in every way.

Rey cuddled into his neck, breath gradually slowing, catching the last couple seconds of him sucking his fingers clean. He smirked.

“It's only fair, my lady.”

“I wasn't about to argue...” she whispered, smooching his neck, slow and happy. “How do I taste?” He hummed, and the look of complete pride and satisfaction was a delight.

“Lovely. Tangy, warm, and sweet...” he breathed, pecking her nose. “Though I hope I can get more than just a sample in the future...”

She squealed, smacking his shoulder, and his laugh was beautiful. He cuddled her close.

“Well...I'd consider that a fairly successful first lesson, my lady, wouldn't you agree?”

She almost slapped his shoulder again. Almost.

“Yes. But I wish you wouldn't say it so cockily,” she said, rising now that her spine no longer had the fortitude of pudding, seeking out the Forget-Me-Nots, forgotten near the headboard, and rising to put them in the water-filled vase on his desk, letting the stain on her nightgown get air and dry in the process.

“On the contrary, my lady, it is relief, not pure pride, that moves me.”

“Relief?” she asked, arranging the lovely blooms before returning to his side and settling on the duvet.

“I really and truly feared being unable to learn your body – being incapable of bringing you to orgasm,” he said, quietly.

“Oh, Ben...” she breathed, half scoff, half endearment, thumb brushing his cheek. He shrugged.

“Maul impressed upon me the tricky task before me; the physical sensitivity of women if I'm too rough, the importance of stimulating them mentally, romantically, not just playing with their erogenous zones, as well as the pain penetration can bring on.” His tense brow relaxed into something of a smile.

“Now that I know I can bring you to release, I'm much more at ease.”

“I see,” Rey said, breath stretching out in the form of a yawn. He chuckled.

“Tired enough to sleep?”

“Yes, quite.” She shivered pleasurably in memory “That was a very good, thorough orgasm, my love.”

He laughed, relieved, as the shadows leapt to billow the sheets and comforter over them for a prolonged moment, allowing them to move up to the pillows and lay down, before being covered in warmth.

“I'm glad, my sweet, so, so glad,” he sighed, cuddling against her hair, as she tucked herself against his chest.

“As am I,” she said, smooching a pec and making him chuckle.

“I eagerly await our next lesson.” She hit his shoulder.

“Cheeky...” And he _snorted!_

“I loved every minute of it. Seeing you shudder and fall apart in my arms, so beautifully...it's a gift, an honor to know how you keen when lust takes you...”

“And it drives me mad to know how you grunt and groan when _you_ release,” she countered, voice low, her fiancé's eyes snapping open.

“ _Stars, my lady!_ ”

“What? Am I not allowed dirty talk about how sexy your groans are, and how the thrust of your hips inspire lust in me?”

He seemed intent on vanishing into her hair.

“You're allowed it. I was just _sorely_ unprepared to hear it! My ecstasy isn't divine and beautiful like yours!”

“To me, it is,” she said, brown eyes so sincere, his body knew not how to react. His gasp was more akin to a dry sob.

“And I hope to learn all the ways in which to make you feel so wonderful in the course of our years together,” she finished, curling in against him, letting sleep begin to drape over her, cloak-like.

His heart felt fit to burst.

“And I hope to see you fall apart so beautifully, hundreds and thousands of times more, in the course of our marriage,” he whispered, stroking her hair.

She groaned with laughter.

“You needn't wait long to achieve those numbers, my dear. Just wait until I introduce you to my G-spot!” He barked with marvelous laughter and cuddled her close, whispering little words of love until they turned gummy in his mouth, and they both drifted-off to their post-coital rest.

~*~*~*~

Rey's eyes fluttered open to her husband's suite lined with shafts of silvery light, his windows facing north and not getting as much direct sun as hers. It was a very effective way to convince her to stay in bed longer, having the room be darker than her own, despite the likely late morning hour.

That, and Ben's chest made an awfully comfortable, warm pillow. Her sweet fiancé...how fulfilling it was to be able to call him by that title now, officially.

She breathed out a languid sigh, snuggling closer to his clavicle, prompting an airy hum to rumble in his wide chest, not quite alert, but definitely sounding pleased and amused to her ear. Her arms around his waist gave him a joyful squeeze, her being tingly with bliss even as the scraping sound of paper against tile alerted her.

Such much for staying in bed all day with her betrothed.

Rey sat up and folded back the covers slowly so as not to be a bother, and wandered over to the door, finding a scrap of folded paper waiting for her, not far from the slight pollen stain her orange mock had permanently left on the bottom of the wood board.

Rey had yet to read Ahsoka's hand-writing, but given the note's content, and that it was written in Spark-Speak, it could only have been from her.

_The Emperor's Hand forgot to order his parent's ship to turn back. If no communication is relayed to them within the next few hours, they will arrive. Discuss with your fiancé before the time passes mid-day, and we pass the point of no return!_

“What is it, darling?” Rey folded the up the message again, creasing it nervously. Ben had risen, blinking at her sleepily. His lips turned up in a soft, beautiful smile.

“Come back to bed, my sweet,” he said, extending his hand to her. Rey returned his grin, though immediately his sweet certainty wavered when she approached, smiling sadly.

“I'd love to simply spend the day curled up on your chest, my dear, but unfortunately, such a thing is not possible,” she answered, sitting on the duvet, hand coming to clasp Ben's.

“And why not? I have nothing on my docket for the day.” And his mischievous grin was a terribly tempting sight.

“Because...we need to discuss something rather difficult and important,” Rey sighed. Perplexed, Ben sat up all the way, taking both her hands in his.

“Something to do with this?” he asked, taking the note off her hands, brow furrowing further at the sight of the loops and curlicues of the Somni language.

“Yes. Precisely.”

He flicked the note aside, not bothering with it, and turned his eyes back to her.

“You have my full attention.”

Rey took a breath, but found herself unable to begin right away, in spite of the required urgency. By the clock on Ben's nightstand, it was nearly 10:00.

“Why are you so worried, my love?” Ben murmured, smoothing her hair back behind her ear, his touch easing her heart.

“It's a matter we've fought about before is all...It's just nerves on my part...” Ben's brow furrowed.

“It can't be about Snoke, can it? Because you should know you can state your opinion on my sire without fear of my anger or reproach.” Rey cringed.

“It's not the Emperor, Ben. You never told Han and Leia not to come visit.”

Ben his eyes widened as he remembered, immediately anxious.

“How soon will my parents be here?”

“Two hours or so.”

Ben's breathing grew shallower and noticeably faster.

“Stars, I'd – I'd completely forgotten with...everything going on it just slipped my mind-”

“We can still tell them to turn around, Ben,” Rey impressed, giving her fiancé's hands a reassuring squeeze.

“We can?” he asked, surprised.

“Of course we can,” Rey whispered, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. “We do this on your terms, Ben. If you aren't comfortable speaking to them yet, then we can ask them to return to Chandrila. I would like to meet them in person one day, but if that day isn't today, that's fine by me.”

His smile was small, but trusting and completely content.

“And...I also hope the time comes that your heart is resolved, and that in the future you'll have the opportunity to rebuild the relationship between you and your parents. But if that's not possible, I can still have my own relationship with them if I deem the connection worthwhile, independent of you – and that's okay too.”

He clutched her hands tightly, some unnamed, deep affection glimmering in his eyes.

“It...means more than I can say to hear you say that...” he said, quietly, voice thick, as he pecked her forehead.

“I can't possibly understand what you went through, Ben – given that I had completely different hardships with my parents. But the least I can do is be sympathetic to your plight.” He reverently kissed each of her hands in turn, loosening his tight grip as his brow furrowed deeply in contemplation. Rey simply waited, smiling patiently.

After a long minute, he huffed out a sigh.

“Even with the offer on the table, I think asking them to turn around would only be delaying the inevitable. The opportunity is here, today, to speak with them, to finally set things straight. The longer I wait in anticipation, the more scared I'll be when the time comes, and the more we drag things out unnecessarily.”

“Whatever you choose, my love. Just so long as you're sure,” Rey said, eyebrows turning inward with concern. Ben nodded, firm.

“I'm sure. I need to speak to them.”

Rey bunched her lips to the side in thought.

“Alone?” Ben's mouth pressed together in a thin line.

“Yes. I think that would be best. Though, perhaps a neutral party to mediate would also be beneficial.”

“I'll ask Ahsoka for you.” His lovely smile returned, lifting his dour expression.

“Thank you, my love. Truly.”

“Anything for you,” she murmured, and her heart blossomed with joy when their first proper kiss of the day warmed her lips.

“If all goes well, I'll send for you at day's end to speak with them too. And, I'd like you there with me when they arrive,” he said, rising and moving towards his closet, intent on preparing for the day.

“Of course! I'll go get ready, then?”

“See you in a few minutes for breakfast?” Ben yelled from within.

“Sure!” Rey returned, moving towards the suite door.

_But what am I to do during the day – between my in-law's arrival and potential sitting down to a conversation with them?_ Rey mused.

 _Well, you_ are _to be my Lady now,_ Ben projected into her mind, teasing, making her roll her eyes as she crossed the hall and began to change. _I believe it's time Commander Tico got you started on those Hand's Lady Lessons. You only have three weeks to cover a lot of material, after all..._

And Rey cut off their mental bridge for a minute, so as not to give Ben the satisfaction of hearing her excited, high-pitched cheer from within her own head, as she bounced on the spot at the thought that in three weeks, she'd be married to the love of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	38. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Han and Leia reunite with their son, and the long road to recovery begins.
> 
> Rey gets to know her in-laws.
> 
> Ben gives Rey a flower arrangement, and the opportunity to bravely speak her mind.

They'd had to inform their courtship chaperones of Kylo's parent's visit, of course – though they'd decreased in number since Earl Tyranus, with Count Grievous in tow, had taken his leave the moment the pair were officially betrothed. And, given Marchioness Ahsoka's nature, her husband wouldn't be any trouble.

Kylo had purposefully not put on his helmet, even with the presence of guards. “What was the point?” he'd said. Maul and Ahsoka had already seen his face at one point or another on accident. And there was no hiding when it came to his parents.

The trouble lay was, that, forced to keep his face neutral without his helmet to conceal him, as the hour drew closer and closer to noon, he would. not. stop. fussing with the silver buttons on his satin coat.

Eventually, Rey gave up and seized his hand outright.

_You have every right to be nervous, my sweet. But Ben – they're your_ parents _._

His sigh in her head was thin and quiet as he took her hand for comfort.

_Hold it as tight as you need to._

_I don't want to cut off your circulation._ She rolled her eyes mildly.

_Please. What's a few minutes of numbness in my left hand compared to your emotional security?_

He poured all his love into the minuscule gesture of tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

_At least one of us looks the part, in more ways than one._

Though Rey had been quite proud of her choice of midnight blue evening gown, with glittering, trailing scarves that fell off her shoulders like false sleeves, and the bun she twirled her hair into had taken many a rough attempt to get right, she scoffed at the compliment.

 _Thank you, Ben, but you cleaned up nicely too,_ she impressed.

 _I can't remember the last time I felt out place in Imperial regalia, and yet, I feel utterly ridiculous in it today._ He huffed. _Dammit, I_ wish _I wasn't this twitchy! As if I didn't have enough to worry about-!_

_I'd be nervous too if I had seen my parents in a decade..._

He clutched her hand a smidge tighter.

_Trouble is, Emperor's Hands don't get nervous._

_Then, mayhaps, just try being Ben for a few hours, without the title?_ A flicker of a warm smile.

_That was my aim, my lady. But I fear falling to pieces if I let my honest self show._

Rey pondered this, eyes downcast.

_Just holler if you need anything – at any time today, okay? Even if I'm in lessons, I'll keep the bridge open enough that I'll hear if yell for me._

A brush of lips against her temple, quick enough that it wasn't a scandalizing sight to happen in public – surrounded by the palace guards and the handful of staff waiting to greet the Solos.

_Thank you, my Seraph. I haven't the words to express my gratitude._

They heard the roar of spaceship engines coming to rest in front of the palace, and their connection went silent. Rey's pulse picked up a bit, and she could feel from the press of Ben's hand that his had accelerated massively. The engines slowed and trundled to a halt, as each new, loud noise marked the unmistakable approach of Ben's parents.

_CLANG._

That would be their ship's gangplank.

_Rumble RUMBLE Rumble..._

Their transport being lowered into the hanger.

_Click clack tip tap click..._

Their shoes coming up the marble steps.

And finally, there was no avoiding it, as the front doors creaked open, parted by the guards, and sunlight shot across the floor, blinding the couple slightly to the three dark silhouettes in front of them.

...Then a purring, amiable, harrumphing call rang out, and both Ben and Rey gasped in recognition.

“ _Uncle Chewie?!_ ” Ben exclaimed, and the tallest of the three figures raised his arms in victorious greeting. “ _Stars, it is you!_ I KNEW you had to still be kicking around, stubborn Grimalkin that you are!” Ben instantly left her side, striding across the foyer as the guards shut the doors and blocked the blinding sunlight, greeting the Cat Fae in a bear-hug that audibly cracked Ben's back.

“Nine Heavens, you've gotten enormous! What have they been feeding you?!” chortled the tall, chestnut-colored, hairy man, speaking in a posh accent similar to Hux and Phasma's dialect. He was dressed casually in a simple green tunic, breeches, and boots, not exactly the fare of the best friend of royalty. Given his scruffy appearance, and long hair and beard, he seemed to have kept the look of a smuggler about him, even in retirement.

“Ah- _HA_ , Chewie, easy!! Stronger though I may be, I still couldn't best you in a fight!” Ben exclaimed, barely able to heave out his words through squished lungs. Chewbacca only beamed, slapping Ben jovially on the back, much more gently than he'd delivered his hug.

Rey had followed a few steps behind Ben, intent on greeting Chewbacca as well, and it was now that his perceptive, bright blue eyes alighted on her.

“Ah...and you must be the Lady Rey we've heard so much about,” the Grimalkin said warmly, giving her a small bow. Rey dipped into one of her well practiced curtsies in turn.

“I'm so glad to finally be meeting you, Chewbacca. Ben's told me a great deal about the adventures you and Han took him on as a child.”

“Not too much, I hope?” Chewie asked, lightly nudging Ben in the ribs and giving him a playful wink. Ben's noncommittal shrug sent the seven-foot tall Cat Fae into a roaring fit of laughter, a sight for any to behold.

“HA-HAHA-HA – well, Benjamin, I can see she's done quite well by you!! I'll be looking forward to welcoming her into the family, ha-ha!”

“Sooner than you might guess, Uncle,” Ben muttered, conspiratorially, prompting the Grimalkin's lips to curl in a pleased smile.

Then, in her periphery, Rey saw the Chandrilan rulers approach. She turned, slipping into a curtsy in greeting.

“Welcome to the Pumice Palace, your Majesties...” Rey said, voice a bit softer than she'd been with Chewie, vaguely noting that the pair were likewise dressed to the nines for the occasion, in neutral shades of white and gray, and calming hue of gray-blue.

Presence thrumming with frantic anxiety in the Ethereum, flashing blue and red jolts, Ben stepped up to her side, looking upon his parent's faces for the first time in ten years.

“Hello Mother, Father...” he said, wooden and stiff, as if all the strength had been drained out of his voice.

Once glance at the King and Queen, however, and Rey knew everything would be okay. Han was looking at his son with wonder and awe, such undisguised pride. Leia was already in tears, trying to conceal the sound of her sobs behind her hand.

“ _Ben-_ ” she choked out, and rushed towards him, seizing him in a hug.

She was easily a head shorter than him, if not more, but from the look on Ben's face, he might have just been throw aside by a Giant.

He didn't know what to do with his hands, fingers twitching aimlessly in mid-air. But after a moment, they found their place at her back and her shoulder, and his fingers pressed into her skin and he broke.

They leaned against one another, two weeping individuals trying to find some vague center of balance, clutching one another as if they were each other's entire world. Leia was still, somehow, attempting to speak, and all Rey could catch were sobbing gasps of “ _Ben!_ ” and “ _my boy!_ ” and “ _my darling boy!_ ” Rey looked on, blinking back tears of her own, smiling and overjoyed.

She shared a glance with Han and gestured towards the pair, as if to invite him to join. His expression fell and he shifted on the spot, rendered immobile by uncertainty. But then in the midst of heaving, Ben picked up his head and looked at Han with blood-shot eyes.

“Dad-” he choked out, and Han visibly crumpled.

“My son...my baby boy...” he breathed, and swiftly fell into the huddle, crying with the rest of them.

Rey lost the fight against her own happy tears off to the side, gently wiping them away as best she could without ruining her makeup entirely. A large hand patted her shoulder, and she started for a moment before realizing Chewie had rounded the group to join her. He was sniffing too, but clearly trying not to draw attention to his tears, letting Ben's parents hold their son for a moment. She patted the Grimalkin's hand as if to say “I understand,” and he nodded.

It was several long minutes of hugging and weeping, of grasping, of patting hair, and kissing foreheads and brows, before the Solos parted and Ben managed to find his voice again.

“Mom and Dad, this-” Ben stopped to roughly clear his tear-choked throat “I'd like you to formally meet my fiancé, Rey Somnus.”

“Hello,” she waved, a touch uncertain, Chewie stepping beside Ben again, giving his shoulder a little shake. “It's nice to finally meet you two in person.”

The Queen stepped up to her without hesitation, and took her hands in hers.

“Rey...there aren't enough words in existence that can describe how grateful we are to you-”

“Or how indebted we are,” Han added, standing at his wife's side.

“Yes,” she smiled, her brown eyes taking on youthful gleam as she looked her husband's way “So, though these words are a poor, poor substitute – thank you. For everything.”

Not quite knowing how to respond to that, Rey nodded, taking in a deep breath.

“And whenever it is that you decide to take on the Solo name, we'd be overjoyed and honored to attend the ceremony,” Han said.

“And help with the preparations,” Leia said, patting her hand and releasing Rey “Planning a regal wedding is no easy task, speaking from personal experience.”

Rey's mouth quirked upward in a grin.

“Any chance you aren't busy in the next three weeks?” she asked, voice lilting guiltily.

“What do you mean, my dear?” Leia asked, brows pinched together.

“We decided the ninth would do,” Ben said, voice measured, though his smile was equally bashful.

Chewbacca became beside himself with laughter again, and to Rey's elation, Leia and Han joined in, shocked and congratulatory at the same time. The King and Queen gifting both her and Ben colossal hugs.

“Nine Heavens above, you two didn't give yourselves much time at all, did you?!” Leia exclaimed, once the initial delight of the news had passed.

“We decided on three weeks specifically so catering could have enough time...” Rey murmured. “Besides, its not as if my half of the guest list is all that expansive,” she tacked on.

“But, we'll get to that later,” Ben interjected, Rey nodding in recognition, turning to wave Ahsoka forward.

“This is Marchioness Tano, my – technically speaking – cousin,” Ben said, sweeping his in introduction.

“The Daemon standing at the top of the stares is her rather moody Daemon husband...” Rey breathed in an undertone.

“Quite so, quite so,” said Ahsoka, causing the bemused royal couple to visibly relax at the clear inside joke. The Astrae gave a dainty, quick curtsy, lapis lazuli shawls and skirts glimmering in the half-light.

“At the Emperor's Hand's request, I will mediating today's conversation, and any subsequent sessions, should they be required,” she explained, far more serious and less owlish than usual.

“It is my understanding that a great deal went unsaid between the lot of you. I will be helping direct this conversation, in order to keep it constructive. The group will also be limited to just the parties involved – if that's alright?” she said, looking Chewbacca's way.

He raised his wide palms, complacent.

“Fine by me, so long as someone can direct me to the nearest dining hall?” Paige stepped forward eagerly from the room's periphery, crystal wings fluttering in acknowledgment, producing a quiet _twinkling_ sound. Chewie nodded, and left in her wake.

“Now, if your Majesties and my Lordship would all follow me?” prompted Ahsoka, and with an exchange of nods, the Solo family headed towards the conference room that had been prepped for them, leaving Rey by her lonesome to go the classrooms upstairs.

_Right here if you need me..._ Rey murmured, mind already half on seeing Rose and learning from the Commander, once more.

 _I know..._ he whispered back, sounding infinitely more at ease.

~*~*~*~

In a swift and efficient afternoon, as was Commander Tico's trademark, the social protocol instructor and master of ceremonies ran through the introduction to a number of subjects – political science, foreign policy, diplomacy, and strategy in warfare, under the impression that Rey would, in fact, become the next Empress.

While the first four topics were all fine and well and interesting in their own ways, even if Rey's real forte was History and not Sociology, the last brought on greater anxiety than she would have desired.

“I can see I've brought on some stress, my lady. Why is this?” asked Tico.

“It's not your direct doing, Madame Rose. In fact, it has a lot to do with my lordship's sire. I doubt he approves of me much as his choice for a wife, not to mention a potential future Empress.”

Rose tutted, in her own loving way.

“My lady, if that were truly the case, trust me when I say you would not be here to begin with,” said Madame Rose, patting her hand.

“There's so much more you don't know,” Rey murmured, nervously, recalling acutely how the shadows had turned against them within the Nightmare temple.

“What was that, Lady Rey?” the Commander asked, turning back to face Rey, brow wearily creased.

“What about resolving multi-layered issues among feuding parties, such as the dilemma between the Trade Unions, New Republic, and the Separatists?” Rey said, thinking of a question on the fly that would return them back to the topics at hand, and make Rose forget about her mutterings.

Though it was well into the evening when lessons concluded and Rey was finally summoned, she could hardly be disheartened when all her intuition sensed in Ben's presence was unmitigated happiness.

Rey was hopeful when she cast open the doors to the conference hall where the Solos and Ahsoka were to be found.

“Come on in, dearest! We were just about to have dinner!” Ben called, standing and pulling out a seat for her at the large table that took up more than half the room. The large slab of stained oak was strewn with empty plates and glasses, along with steaming dinner plates, piled high with poultry, potatoes, and greens that Daisy and her staff had only just finished serving. The energy was positively electric, the group in the throws of animated conversation, Ahsoka and Han and Leia getting along swimmingly.

Rey smiled and joined her fiancé.

_Did you manage to cover everything?_ she asked, settling in beside him.

 _Everything I thought of, and then some,_ he said, expression taking on a softer quality. _I see them in a much more human light than I did before. I see their mistakes laid out, plain and foolish and near-sighted, but also their heart-wrenching apologies, shot through with sincerity. How could I not? Between the two of them, I don't think I've ever seen two people who've been moved to tears so many times in one day._

Rey thanked Daisy for her plate and tucked in, nodding.

_I suppose the question at the forefront of my mind is how they truly felt about your magicks._

_They were a great deal more afraid of not being able to help me understand them and gain mastery of them than they were of the magicks themselves. It seems...my dark dreams and darker thoughts exaggerated things a bit...skewed them in a contrary direction...Overall, that's been the darkest discovery from our discussions. And that's taking into account father's itchy feet and his bold-face confession to being an ass and an awful father._

_He said that?!_

_And apologized for it, too._ Ben set down his utensils for a moment. _Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever hear even half of the words I heard from them today. And I have you to thank for it..._

_Oh, Ben-_

“Now that you're here, Lady Rey, my wife and I hoped you might indulge us with a story?” Han proposed from further down the table, wiping clean his mouth with his cloth napkin.

“Um, gladly, your – Han,” Rey startled, caught off-guard by his interjection and almost speaking too formally as a result.

“We'd like to know how it is that you and Ben met,” Leia asked, smiling at her fondly.

“Realizing, full well, it was likely not under the best of circumstances, given that our poor son was still suffering, so,” Han added, grave, but compassionate.

Rey had to resist the genuine urge to snort with laughter.

“I picked the wrong house to Dust on the wrong night, and snuck into the bedroom he was staying at by mistake!”

The room broke out in laughter.

“Thirteen Hells, how did that happen?” Han asked, shaking his head in a sympathetic fashion.

“I'd been doing my tour as Emperor's Hand and had stopped for night on Jakku to supply and refuel. The governor of Rey's little hometown was only too happy to host me,” Ben explained, gesticulating animatedly.

“And Finn and I – my adopted brother, and a Duster, just like me – were playing cards that night during the Sacred Hour, same as always, and I upped the stakes,” Rey said, picking up the thread “If I won, he had to attempt to steal into Vizier Ahmed's abode and deliver him a dream. It seemed just tempting enough of a dare, at the time – even though the vizier was a regular customer. Stars, I should've put two and two together that that's where you were staying, but even if I had, we we never have suspected-”

“As the vizier's room was the most spacious, he offered me his bed for the night, as opposed to one of the cramped guest rooms...” Ben grinned guiltily into his glass as he took a drink.

Ahsoka cackled with laughter, prompting bemused looks from both Ben's parents. Ben sighed dramatically.

“Forgive my cousin. She's always like this.”

“Come off it, my lord! The twisted serendipity of it all is just too delicious!” she grinned, wide-eyed as she took a drought of her white wine.

Leia merely shook her head and pressed for further explanation.

“Stars, you thought Rey and her brother attackers, didn't you?” she muttered, forehead creased with concern.

“At first,” Ben confessed “But it quickly became clear that it was an honest mistake. I was half tempted to let the pair go, with a handful of lashings as a warning, but then...Rey's eyes glowed.”

His parents raised their eyebrows in surprise.

“I'm no expert on magick, but that's not a usual skill for a Duster, is it?” Han murmured.

“No. Not at all,” Rey gave a one-shouldered shrug.

“The lines from Uncle Luke's prophecy came back to me in a rush. And in that moment, I knew I had to do whatever I could to make a deal with her that would bring her with me – tie her to me,” Ben explained, tone growing somber and shameful. Rey stilled the fidgeting of his hands by placing her own atop them.

“How could I have known then how altruistic my decision actually was? I was motivated by the last lines of his prophecy,” he murmured.

“'And gift unto the Emperor's Hand great magicks, strength as yet unknown to any Hand,' yes, I remember the words of my brother's prophecy well,” Leia said, gravely. But Rey smiled.

“Except those weren't the actual words.”

Ben whipped towards her.

“What are you talking about?” Rey's smile only grew.

“When you have the time, dearest, I suggest you go down to your Hall of Prophecy and take a second look. I think you'll find there was a hidden panel – not unlike the sandstone slabs of Somni temple walls – that when removed, reveals a very different prophecy.”

Leia chortled with laughter and Han broke into a wide grin.

“That sounds like your crafty Healer brother, if ever I knew him,” the King-Consort said.

“Indeed! Do tell what the altered prophecy says?”

“Nothing at all about new, gained magicks. Just about a powerful love between a Somni and a Nightmare, and a union that strengthens the some of its parts...” Rey said, giving Ben a meaningful smile. Ahsoka took in the information curiously, eyes growing even wider and more owlish.

Rey left off the bit at the end about slaying darkness, at least for a discussion around the dinner table. She knew he'd learn of it eventually.

She wanted to make sure Ben could process that in his own – reflect in peace on the possibility they may have to slay his sire. To want to turn away from Snoke was entirely different path than starting a revolution, and after all they'd been through, she wanted to give Ben the time he needed. But she let on in the Ethereum that there was more to the altered prophecy, to be discussed later.

“Well...” Ben murmured, thumb running over her knuckles in their usual affections “I suppose there is a time for everything – even a time when I'm glad about Luke being right!” he chuckled, and to that, the family smiled.

“So you struck a bargain with her, that night?” Leia asked, looking to Rey to the continue the story.

“Yes. At the time, it was my hand in marriage in exchange for Finn's life.” Leia and Han visibly saddened, expressions distressed “But, in short order, Ben dropped that part of the deal entirely. Later on, he only asked that I stay for the four month courtship, no bonds of matrimony attached,” Rey said, quietly proud.

“You neglect to mention how stubborn I was about loosening the deal, or speaking about my past,” Ben said, face scarlet.

“Yes, dear, I know. But you were also in a lot of pain-”

“Which I only was freed from with _your_ help.” Rey laughed.

“So, in the end, we're both Mystics of our word who made this work, against all odds?” His smile turned honeyed.

“Yes, my sweet. Very well said,” he breathed, kissing the back of her hand.

Ben's parents looked on, satisfied and joyous.

“Take it from a man who knows, it is the best kind of relationship that challenges you and encourages you to grow,” Han said, voice a touch sagely with its middle-aged gravel. Leia laughed, her twinkling eyes suggesting a profound desire to tease the daylights out of him for running from those challenges.

But Rey found it profoundly more significant that the Queen chose not to.

~*~*~*~

“Well...they're a good bit more fun than I expected,” Rey giggled, as they wandered to his room wearily at night's end.

“You would be too, if you'd had more than one glass.” A half-hearted smack of his shoulder.

“I mean for their age! I never would've expected that.”

“Hah! In my experience, married couples only get sillier as they age!”

“Because you know oh _so_ many.”

“Quite, my sweet...”

She changed into a nightgown that went down to her ankles tonight, knowing that she was exhausted and needed her rest.

“ _Wait, wait, wait – don't come in yet!_ ”

“Oh _stars,_ Ben! It is far too late for mischief!” Rey exclaimed, closing the door so that only a inch-wide crack remained, peaking through the gap. Her fiancé's back was to her, and he was very clearly leaned over the potted planter in his room.

“On the contrary, midnight is mischief's favorite hour,” he teased, colored whorls of magenta, scarlet, and violet magick blooming and flashing brightly against the wall as he brought his mystery piece to life. “Alright, my darling, come in...”

Rey sighed, letting Ben have his bit of fun, pulling the tussie-mussie from behind his back and holding it out to her.

She wished she didn't melted so completely at the sight of one large and one tiny flower sweetly entwined, but she did.

“Is this one meant to represent you, and this one me?” she blushed. Ben tossed his head from side to side.

“Maybe.”

“Heavens, you're positively impossible!” He guffawed with laughter, decisively unapologetic. The nerve!

“Can you read it, or do you need assistance with definitions?” Rey scowled, stepping haughtily up to his window and the moonlight to better see the flowers. Two red camellias.

“Oh...” she breathed, cheeks warming pleasantly. “I'm a flame in your heart?” He softly pressed his lips to her temple.

“Yes. Dare I say the very same...” he murmured in her ear, pressing the palm of her free hand to his fervent Inferi flame-heart.

“And what in the stars did I do to get you to long for me-”

The kiss was so languid and tender that her whole world seemed to become the space between their warm lips.

“So many things, Rey...” And his eyes were gorgeously dark, hopeful, but asking for nothing in return, except perhaps her love.

She was so flattered and her heart filled with such inscrutable, instinctive yearning she didn't know how to respond.

After a moment, his face fell as he took her silence as rejection.

“You're welcome to tell me if I'm coming on too strong in your response...we do this at _your_ pace, of course. I just thought, I should make absolutely clear where I stand, even in matters of passion.” Rey pressed her lips together, pondering.

She returned his bouquet to him.

“Hold onto this for just a minute,” she said, and moved to the planter he'd been using, calling her arts to action. In a matter of moments, she plucked up the flower by the stem.

Ben's gaze turned so soft and reverent at the red carnation she handed to him that she thought her heart might leap from her chest.

' _My heart aches for you.'_

“Your passions are returned fully, my love. Just-” she yawned, massively “maybe not tonight, as I'm completely exhausted.” He chuckled, calming.

“Of course, Rey. Come,” he pecked her forehead, trailing to his desk to drop all three blooms in his vase of water, returning to her. “Rest your head on my chest and sleep.”

“Gladly,” she breathed, curling against his warm, sturdy chest perfectly as they settled in to rest under the warm covers.

Her breathing evened out and turned deep within a matter of minutes, but she was still lucid when Ben breathed out one last question.

“Am I correct in interpreting then that...you're ready?”

Her answer didn't even require much thought. There simply wasn't doubt left in her mind to warrant questioning.

“Yes. When I can comfortably take your 'generous offer'...” she murmured, drowsily.

And Ben knew not whether to laugh or cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	39. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia asks Rey and Ben the ultimate embarrassing-in-law-question, leading to some honest conversation between the lovebirds, and some passionate, intimate petting in the library.
> 
> Leia and Han give the engaged couple some advice about married life.
> 
> The wedding guests begin to arrive.

It was a week later, after all the invitations had been written and sent out, during a peaceful family breakfast, that Leia posed the mortifying question.

“Have you two discussed starting a family?”

“Mom!” Ben exclaimed, indignant. The Queen scoffed, eyes turning skyward.

“As if more embarrassing questions haven't been asked of you in your time as Emperor's Hand...”

“Not from my _family_ ,” Ben impressed, though not with any anger in his voice.

“And you, my dear?” asked Leia, smiling in Rey's direction. She could only smile, nervously.

“I assumed it would be expected of us to produce heirs, eventually. I just...hadn't given it much thought, personally...” she murmured, trailing off, as a ball of anxiety settled hotly in her stomach.

“While it's important to keep your people's expectations in mind, I wasn't asking you from one ruler to another, Rey,” Leia said, shaking her head.

“No, of course not. She wants to know as your mother-in-law how soon she can expect grand-kids,” Han muttered into his coffee mug.

“Oh please! As if you don't also want a pair or a trio of pint-sized imps to dote on.” Han only shrugged, the picture of boyish innocence.

And though they moved on from the topic easily enough, Rey finished her breakfast quickly and excused herself, heading to the library to dwell in peace, surrounded by her personal, curated nook on agricultural and gardening.

The Pumice Palace's library was not nearly as striking or as darkly-colored as the one aboard _The Desiderata_ had been, but its shelves were lined with older tomes, earth-toned and velvet-bound, on far more diverse subjects, and the tall windows let in the most spectacular dusty shafts of sunlight from the gardens.

It felt ancient, erudite, and quiet – and to Rey, homey.

Imagine her stark surprise when her intuition sensed an intrusion in her sanctum, even one so welcome as her fiancé.

“Hiding, are you?”

Rey didn't deign to look up from her page on sunflowers.

“Reading in peace is hardly hiding.”

“It is when you had something to run from.”

“I am not running, just thinking!” Rey snapped, eyes darting up from the text. Ben started at her change in tone, but didn't press, brows raised in concern.

Seeing there was no getting out this, Rey sighed, snapped her book shut, and patted the other half of the window-box seat's pouf, turning so he could fit at her side.

His hand slipped easily into hers, the brush of skin on skin feeling like a microcosm of belonging.

“Tell me what troubles you, my sweet...” His soft hazel gaze could wrestle even to-the-grave-secrets out of her.

“The last example I had of parents, even ones so wonderful and selfless as my own, died ten years ago,” she said, with a heartbroken shrug “I've only just been able to manage courtship. How could I possibly tackle motherhood?”

“My darling...” Ben breathed, leaning over to crown her head with kisses “You'll take it on as you do all things – with curiosity, shrewdly, and intrepidly.” She groaned.

“Stars, why did I even ask you? If anyone is going to be unduly biased towards my abilities-” He pressed two fingers to her lips.

“This is not my bias talking, Rey. I think you have the tenacity and caring to be a wonderful mother, should you choose to be.”

Even if not completely, it did settle some of her nerves to hear Ben say that.

“Thank you, my love. But I didn't realize I had a choice. What with your role, and one I assume by marrying you, and the ones waiting for us further down the line, still.” Ben shook his head.

“Forget our responsibilities for a minute, Rey. Not even my...not even the Emperor will expect heirs from me for a while yet, five years, maybe more.” he murmured, his presence turning darker than it used to when referring to Snoke. But his gaze was deep and gentle as he fixed it on her.

“Put it all aside for a moment, Rey. If it was just you, and me, and a wide open future...is that something you might want?” Her worried creases began to smooth over, a smile growing in their place.

“To start a family with you? The man I love?” He nodded, smile hopeful.

Rey considered.

It was a wonderful thought, the racing patter of little feet, of a home made full by life, and the raising of her own flesh and blood. It would be the greatest responsibility in existence, to be sure, but it had always been a part of her childhood vision; a prince, a castle, a family, a home.

When she'd still had a noticeable absence of any potential princes, she hadn't given the subsequent hopes too much thought. But it had always seemed a natural goal to her. For her life, a family was a laborious, joyous given, a foregone conclusion.

But, there was a rather difficult sticking-point in Ben's question.

“Yes, I would,” Rey answered “if that's what you would want too.” He started at that, blinking in confusion and pulling away from her.

She giggled.

“I mean I'm not about to bring kids into the world, and our lives, if _you_ were uncomfortable with the idea of fatherhood!”

“Oh...” He chuckled too. “Before...I know my parents didn't cast parenting in a very positive light. But honestly, I don't really know how I felt about family. Heirs were an obligation, a duty a I had to perform.” he nodded, gaze glazed.

Then his eyes snapped back to hers, and filled with light.

“But these days, I keep seeing this picture in my head of this...scrappy little girl with long, dark hair, and your adorable freckles and button nose...” Rey couldn't hold back the joyful snickers if she tried “And a bookish boy with auburn locks, lying on the floor, totally absorbed in sketching and inventing and dreaming...” The snickers became full-blown chortles.

“ _Ben-!_ ”

“And my gorgeous wife, in the middle of all the chaos beside me, loving the little Daemons just as much as I...”

Rey bit her bottom lip, heart _thumping_ gloriously.

“So you...want to start a family with me?” Ben laughed breathily, and looked as if she'd just offered him the galaxy on a silver platter.

“ _Hells_ yes!”

He assaulted her with kisses, his pecks relentless as he held her wrists tight, preventing all chance of escape.

“ _Mmmrph – Ben!_ I didn't mean right now!!” His presence became shot through with trails of curling, desirous fire, and hers seemed to glow amber in answer.

“Gods above, Rey, do you have any idea how cruel my mind has been to me in the past few days?!”

“What – could your – mind – have – possibly shown you – to put you – in such a state?!” Rey blurted out been fervent kisses. Ben clutched her jaw, eyes boring into hers.

“Dreams of _you_ , pregnant and gorgeous and incandescently happy! Stars, Rey, I can hardly stand it!! I wake up most every day, filled with longing and aching for you, my last subconscious thought of your round stomach held between my palms, and you looking so irresistibly sexy, I-”

“Breathe, sweetheart, breathe!” Rey cut in, holding his hands for comfort as he panted. He laughed.

“It's a bit late for that, Rey. At least, I'm not certain it'll do much good anymore to catch my breath...” He lowered their hands, revealing the massive bulge in his pants. Warmth filled Rey's body in a magnetic rush.

“I want you, so much, Rey...” he murmured, kissing her cheek, and she shivered with delight. “So much it _hurts_.” He swallowed, a rough sound, that only compounded her desire. “I want to explore every single pleasure with you until we're drunk off it, nearly dead with ecstasy, my love-”

“Ben-” Now it was her turn to attack his mouth with lascivious pecks, turning him molten in her arms. “Don't say such things unless you fully intend for us to ruin the sanctity of this library!”

He latched hungrily onto her bottom lip and she cried out, high and wanting. She wrestled into his lap, aching for proximity, for friction.

“Oh, but Rey, I _do,_ ” he groaned.

“ _Good!_ ” And she rocked her hips, reflecting all her want right back at him.

They half fell, half stumbled from the seat, Ben grasping her legs around his waist and holding her there, lilac skirts bunched in his fists, as he sought out the nearest sturdy bookshelf out of the line of sight of a window, drunk on the taste of her.

“ _Gods_ Rey...” he groaned, wound tight as a spring, setting her back on shaky legs and grasping her wrists against the hardwood “I can't wait until I _bury_ myself in you to the hilt, I bet you feel like heaven itself!!” He canted into her, maybe a little rough, but Rey felt so keen and excited and hot everything was pleasurable.

“Are you – needed anywhere – soon?!” she managed to gasp.

“Dammit Rey, who cares?!” She grasped his chin.

“I don't want us to get walked in on. Nor do I want you sitting through a three-hour meeting with _ruined trousers_ ,” she impressed kindly, in spite of the euphoric delirium.

He guffawed, presence exploding in sunlight.

He gathered up her left thigh, wrapping her around his hip.

“Fine. I do have a meeting shortly, we'll just keep our clothes on, then. But I'll have time to change my pants Rey, don't fret...”

And he began rocking into her, massaging her sex with his aroused, hard member, letting her feel each pleasurable inch against her damp panties.

“ _Stars!_ ” she gasped, meeting his pulses, gasping. She was so turned on, the waves of pleasure were electric. There was something remarkable about the simple, indirect massage of her whole sex that lit up every nerve.

Ben leaned into her more, rubbing away, panting.

“ _Ah!_ Ben, don't hold back, sweetheart! Pressure like this feels so good!!”

“Gods dammit, Rey!” Ben growled, eyes dark with lust “How can I refuse you, my wanting little minx!” He ground against her fervently, each buck against her mound sending a shock-wave through her.

“ _Errgh – mmpph!_ Ben, I want you too!” she cried, for the first time and meant it.

“ _Fuck!_ ” he exclaimed against her neck, shuddering as he hefted up her other leg around him, thrusting against her in earnest, picking up the pace.

And though Rey loved each rush of pleasure and could've easily come undone like this, and quickly, it wasn't enough.

She needed skin, warmth, contact.

“Ben – Ben stop! I – I need to feel you...I need to put my hands on you,” she gasped, gripping his shoulder. He started, perplexed.

“I thought you – didn't want – to get caught? I don't have – too long!”

“There's got to be some way to have it both ways! Please, my sweet...I want to unravel you...” He gulped, eyes still dark with lust, though his kiss was soft and gentle.

“I want that too, Rey. Gods, I get such a high from helping you release!” She laughed, the sound little more than a bright gasp, then furrowed her brow in thought.

“But how to get away with it, cleanly? As helpful as it is, and will be, my fluids – um, my...”

“Lubrication?”

“Yes, _that_ ,” she glared, saucily, pink with mild embarrassment “Is rather a dead give away with its strong scent.” His subtle grin only served to drench her further with how sensual it was.

“Then, I suppose, we'll need to get creative...”

He pressed her firmly against the shelf with his hips, moving his right hand squarely under her rear so he could hold her with one hand. His freed left hand snapped his fingers...

...And his shadow tendrils rose to attention, knitting together to make a thin, sinuous, but accurate to Ben's, wispy hand.

Her hips grasped onto him more tightly and he grunted in surprise.

“I take it you're not apposed, then?” he said, smile broadening.

“No, you utter Daemon...” she murmured, nibbling his lips and making him twitch, grin joyous and pleased. “I just hope I won't run the risk of burning you with my light...” Rey mused, summoning a ribbon of white-gold light to her palm from the closest florescent sconce, morphing it into a soft, ethereal hand of her own.

“ _Burn_ me? Sweetheart, you forget who you're talking to...” he whispered, leaning in to attack her lips, licking and tugging, quick to fan the flames of her desires again.

She jumped when the shadow-hand came to rest on her mound, cupping her delicately.

“What's wrong?”

“It's a little cold!” she laughed, and Ben rolled his eyes. Its tender fingers searched her until they found perfect, pleasurable purchase, and they was so supernaturally soft, Rey leaned into the touch, melting with a moan.

“You like that, my little minx?” he purred.

“Very much, my dear. I hope you enjoy me too!”

And Rey's light-hand shrunk and slithered lightning fast up his pant leg, eagerly seizing his hard-on, surrounding him with its warmth. His whine of pleasure made her moan in want too.

“ _Gods_ , you're touch is so sweet, Rey!” he panted, as the light-hand began to stroke him, hungry and firm.

The shadows-fingers were swift to peel aside her soaked undergarments and seek out her prized pearl, looking to treat her in kind. When they did, Rey was gasping and whimpering in seconds under his attentions.

“Gods Rey, your moans turn me on so _fucking_ much!!” Ben grunted, face buried in her neck, hips jerking in time with the swift, hard tugs of her light-hand. In turn, his shadow-hand picked up its pace, soft fingers dancing over her clit relentlessly.

“Ben, slow down – I, I can't – _mmmrrghh! –_ I can't hold on at this pace!! _Oh Gods!!_ ”

“Don't hold it in, sweetheart, don't! I'm getting there too – let me hear you moan, my love!” he whispered, heaving. Rey flicked her fingers, nerves singing with pleasure, and her light-hand put exquisite pressure on his sensitive under-side ridge. He gasped, tightening up.

“ _Come with me, Rey!_ ” Ben groaned, and she helplessly toppled over the edge with a cry, the shadow-hand becoming drenched in her desire. They clutched each other, shuddering and reeling, tumbling in the tumult of sweet, swift pleasure. They heaved until their gasps calmed, and once they had their heads again, commanded their respective magicks to retreat, elemental appendages dissolving back into nothing.

“Oh Ben, put me down right this second – I can feel your knees shaking!”

“Ha-ha-ha, my _darling_ Rey! It's only because your learning me so well and made me feel _so_ good...” he breathed, showering her in kisses as he set her back on her feet. “Damn it all, I wish I didn't have to run so soon, but rest assured, I'll put all my adoration and post-orgasmic bliss into words later.”

“I understand, my love. And fear not, I know how you feel...”

He seized her mouth in such a delightful way, she almost felt dizzy after they parted.

“Maybe so. But it's still such a joy to see how you blush when I dote on you!” he breathed, and turning the corner of a bookshelf, vanished to go clean himself up.

And when Rey found a purple tulip on her desk a few hours later, whose meaning of 'perfect lover' summoned up a positively monstrous blush, she knew he'd made good on his promise.

~*~*~*~

Rey marched to tea in the garden that afternoon with a purpose, jonquils clutched tightly in her hand. He was waiting for her up near the head of the path that lead to their tree, looking smug as ever in a vibrant royal blue vest to match the navy pants he'd changed into.

“You absolute, utter _scoundrel!_ ” Rey hissed, making him jump in surprise though she spoke in an undertone. His cheeks became dusted with pink.

“What did I do-!”

“ _You know full-well what you left on my desk!!_ ” And he did a terrible job of biting back his smile too. “Just take your damned bouquet and wipe that grin off your face before your parents see it!!” she snapped, though she was smiling too, pressing the jonquil trio tightly against his chest.

It took all of a moment for him to recognize the flowers and dissolve into a smile, turning to walk in step with her.

“So which is it? 'Love me', 'affection returned', or 'desire'?” he asked, tone kind and genuinely curious. Rey sighed.

“All three – but only if you don't mock me for it!” she said, pointing at him sternly. He kissed her accusatory hand, slipping the tiny bouquet into the pocket of his vest for all to see.

“Never.”

Rey softened and allowed him to take her hand, swimming happily in their joint sea of satisfaction, happiness, and content.

At least, until they reached the end of their path and spotted their tree.

“Oh _Nine Heavens..._ ” Rey gasped, wonder-struck.

“What kind of tree did we grow?!” Ben gawked.

Leia picked up her head from where she was conversing with Han, seated at a circular, white, metal table with a ceramic tea set laid out, held in the embrace of a sturdy bow.

“Come on over and take a look at your beautiful Wisteria!” she exclaimed, waving them closer.

And Leia had identified it correctly, Rey thought with a smile: her and Ben's tree had grown, in a matter of _days_ , into a gorgeous, broad Wisteria tree, positively dripping with elegant bunches of trailing, fuchsia-purple flowers, thick as a canopy, and carrying the most delicate, sweet scent.

“Any chance you know the meaning of this flower, my lady?” Ben asked, eyes still bright with wonder as he examined a bunch of the flowers, inhaling their scent deeply, though his smile had turned a bit cheeky.

“Wisteria's represent love, grace, and bliss, primarily,” Rey answered, smirking at his teasing.

“Yes, certainly,” chuckled Leia “But their meaning of releasing burdens, and victory over hardships, are definitions that should not be overlooked,” she said, meeting their eyes meaningfully. Ben had to turn his affectionate smile back on her at that. His hazel eyes were practically sparkling.

She understood his sentiments, without words, without even the help of her intuition.

He thought of their tree as a shared gift, a monument to everything they'd overcome as he journeyed to find himself.

 _I didn't plan it that way,_ she smiled _But if that's how you wish to see it...I certainly think all your formidable work is worthy of such a monument._

He kissed the top of her head, presence blooming in swirls of magenta and violet and gold.

_I love so much, my Rey._

Han, meanwhile, set down his teacup, brow creased.

“Since when do you know anything about botany, princess? You're an Ares!”

“Just because I don't have nature magicks like Rey doesn't mean I can't have hobbies,” Leia murmured into her cup. Han snorted.

“You? Hobbies? As in, _for fun?_ ”

“There's a lot you don't know about me, Han,” the Queen finished, winking.

The young couple settled into their white, metal, patio chairs beside the aged couple, chuckling and matching their smiles. Han poured them both tea, Rey taking a brave sip of hers promptly while Ben looked on, shaking his head at his parents.

“You two are unbelievable...” he murmured.

“What? Just because we haven't lost our sense of humor in our old age?” Han chuckled.

“You never _had_ a sense of humor, Dad. Not with each other.”

The mood around table became more somber in an instant, like a cold-snap sprouting from within them.

“Fittingly enough, that's what we wanted to talk to you about today,” Han said seriously and a bit distracted, as if sorting through his memories. He threw up his eyebrows with a hollow laugh and began his diatribe.

“We made some mistakes, to be sure. Some of them rather ugly ones...” Leia nodded in agreement, sober, brown eyes dark with recollection.

“And given how your wedding is just a few short weeks away, we thought we might share what we've learned from experience,” she continued.

“Just so you two can have the opportunity to make your own mistakes, and not repeat the ones we made,” Han grinned, the expression bittersweet. “Fire away. Ask us anything.”

“About you two?” Rey posed, musing.

Leia nodded.

Rey traded a consulting glance with Ben, and he sat up straighter.

“Why did you two get married in the first place if you argued so much?” he asked, his question far more weary than it would have been in the past. It lacked any of the accusatory edge Rey had become accustomed to when it came to talking about Ben's parents.

With that one question, Rey's heart was shredded to ribbons and bled.

“I know that's how it may have looked...” Leia murmured, morose “But it wasn't that way at the start. Your father and I loved each other very much.”

“But, even back in the day, there was no shortage of banter and disagreements,” Han huffed, his eyes also taking on a sullen quality, tracing the rim of his teacup's saucer subconsciously.

“The difference was, most of it wasn't about anything truly serious – and given time and space, even when we really couldn't stand one another, we somehow, always, laughed it off.”

“But then you came along, and our lives changed completely,” Han said, looking to Ben, smile affectionate and possessing a depth Rey couldn't imagine.

Leia sighed, gripping the handle of her teacup with white knuckles.

“There was so much that went unsaid. So many fears about parenting and doing right by you and being competent leaders that we didn't dare discuss. And they compounded over time, resulting in brutal fights about the tiniest of things-”

“And, ultimately, in a number of self-fulfilling prophecies.” Han wouldn't meet Ben's eyes, his hazel orbs were so filled with shame.

“Fearing I could never be the model father I hoped, I didn't even bother to try. I considered it forfeit and ran for the hills. How could I succeed, after all? For every resemblance to us I could handle – your resilience, your creativity, your leadership, your love of flying – there were other startling, wonderful traits I couldn't fathom.” He laughed, but the sound was heartbroken.

“How could a Dannan possibly understand the struggles of wielding magick, the willpower and resolve it takes? I knew I didn't know how to help you, couldn't help you.”

“And I, so fearful of my inability to instruct you properly in Nightmare magicks, did quite the same. I trusted what I thought to be an impartial third party to teach you...I see now, how wrong I was to send you away...” Leia said, not much louder than a whisper.

Ben looked on, nodding stiffly to show he'd heard. Clearly, this was still a raw topic, in spite of all they'd discussed a week ago.

“But the point is, when it comes to the key components of each other's lives – career, family, your court, your friends, your obligations, and especially the relationship itself – don't let each other be in the dark. State your feelings, goals, hopes, fears, frankly and honestly. Be upfront about the difficult things, because letting them stew will only make them that much harder to say. Talk it out; it's the most straightforward way to always know how the other one feels.

“And when you fight, and you _will_ , know that it's normal, and okay. But also know that fights and disagreements, even vast differences in opinions, are temporary things. Your love is much stronger than those disagreements, and can be stronger after such things have passed,” Leia advised.

“Saying goodbye and parting ways on bad terms, on the other hand, can last forever,” Han concluded, and from the distant, glassy quality to his eyes, the grief following his and Leia's divorce could not have been more apparent.

Rey found herself smiling, if a bit grimly.

“So then...what made you decide to get back together?”

Han chuckled, and Leia threw up her eyebrows.

“You first,” she said, sipping from her cup.

The King-Consort raised his hands in defense.

“We missed each other too much!”

“Oh!! _Han-_ ”

“We did! There was too much shared history, too much common ground. After some distance and time to think cleared the air, the anger and shame dissolved, and what stuck in my mind was the good times.”

“Which is to say, sometimes a breather is a necessity in its own right,” Leia added, glancing between them. Han nodded, sagely.

“Certainly. Giving each other space to think is invaluable. But more than that, the other side of talking through things, and allowing arguments to happen sometimes, is forgiveness.”

“Something that we struggled with _egregiously,_ ” Leia said, rolling her eyes at herself.

“It's so easy to let the little things get under your skin – whose parenting responsibility is whose, and who did what chore, who carries what role in the family, and anniversary dates and birthdays, and who forgot what, and when – and they can drive quite the wedge between you,” Han said, meeting both their eyes in turn “But when all's said and done, and the clutter's cleared away, those things pale in comparison to everything you feel for one another.”

“If there is a solitary piece of advice I could give you two – fervently and sincerely – is that you learn to _let things go,_ ” Leia concluded.

Rey and Ben took a moment to take everything in. Rey became absorbed by the sunlight reflecting and rippling in her cup of black tea, the gentle breeze making their Wisteria whisper and murmur above them.

It was Ben who finally broke the contemplative silence.

“Fortunately, we've had some amount of experience with forgiveness and fights already,” he chuckled, lightly, sending Rey into a fit of giggles.

“Yes, that's very true!”

“But, your advice is still invaluable, and...I thank you for it.” A look of unconditional love passed between the three Solos.

Rey felt of something of an outsider, watching the familial gaze pass between their eyes. But even still, she understood it completely.

“Anytime, kids,” Han murmured. Rey would have happily sat and chatted with them for hours still, admiring the tree, but at that very moment, a sonic-boom split the air as a spaceship entered Mustafar's atmosphere.

“Gods damn it – why does Countess Cognus always insist on being early?!” Ben swore, rising from his seat, ashes sweeping about him in waves as he donned his helmet and created a cloak to dress up his simple blue attire. Rey stood up with him.

“How long before they arrive?”

“Half an hour, at the most. The Executioners pride themselves on their ability to engineer the court's fastest ships.”

“Go on. Greet your family,” Leia nodded in understanding. Ben growled, turning on the spot momentarily, arrested by indecision.

Rey understood immediately and jumped in to cover him.

“Go ahead, Ben. I'll find a safe spot for your parents to lay-low in.” His presence turned rose-hued with affection.

“Thank you, my sweet. You always know just what to do.”

“Cognus won't be upset by my absence to greet them, then?” He parted the bottom of his helmet to peck her forehead, swift and endearing.

“Leave her to me.”

The group parted ways, Rey leading Han and Leia to her refuge in the library.

“Sooner or later, we'll have to cross paths with the Imperial Court,” Leia muttered, as they walked swiftly through the palace hallways.

“Indeed. But the longer we can stretch the time until you have to meet the Countess' branch of the family, the better,” Rey panted, nervously.

“Not found of Republic policies then, are they?” Han smirked, earning a glare from his wife.

~*~*~*~

Ben ruffled his hair, trying to breath some volume and life back into it after spending most of the day in his helmet.

“I can't believe that went off without a hitch,” he breathed, laying back against the pillows and staring at his four-poster's canopy.

“Well, the good news is most of the most worrying members of Cognus' family won't be coming to the wedding, right?”

Ben ticked them off on his fingers.

“No Prosset Dibs, Bil Valen, Pentas, Asajj Ventress, or Quilan Vos to speak of,” he said, with a relieved sigh.

“But Mirialan is here?” Rey cringed, recalling her painful interactions with the sallow-skinned Executioner plainly.

“Yes. And the Countess' three children and Lady Skyre. But, it's still certainly a huge win. Now we just need Savage Oppress to turn down his invitation and we might get through this without anyone dying.”

“That's a terrible joke, Ben.”

“Probably.”

She smacked him with her pillow, and the obstinate Inferi only laughed harder.

Rey crossed her arms and stared pointedly at the dark wood-grain above her – not looking at Ben's doting, sweet, round, hazel eyes, not looking at the elegant slope of his collarbone, or his broad pecs, or his glowing heart, and _definitely_ ignoring that he'd deliberately crawled into bed with her, shirtless.

“My darling, please don't be cross with me...” he breathed, pressing a kiss to her temple. She barely even glanced at him out of her periphery. Seeing his tactics weren't working, Ben took a different approach, huffing out a breath as he grasped her hand.

“On my honor, our wedding will be as blood-less and uneventful as is feasible, given the insanity on my side of the family.”

She grinned.

“That'll do, my lord.”

His kiss seemed to warm her all over, wrapping her in a feeling of utter safety.

His eyes were wide when he parted from her.

“Stars – I nearly forgot! One moment!” He rolled out of bed swiftly, eagerly crossing to the other side of his room and scooping up a parcel from his desk, the excitement in his eyes making her giggle before he'd even settled again on the duvet. She sat up, glowing with joy.

“Ben, I really don't need-”

“Trust me, I think you'll appreciate this one.” She fixed him with an ardent, melted caramel kiss that made his stomach perform a back-flip.

“I appreciate all your gifts, Ben – uniquely and equally,” she smiled, tearing an opening in the plain, brown paper, neatly and economically folded to surround the rectangular package. As she suspected, the ripping of the paper revealed a book. But it was the title her eyes alighted on that made her heart burst.

“Though, I feel it important to say, this may be the first gift of yours I'll have to borrow myself...” Ben said, smirking.

Rey tossed _The Guidebook for New Parents_ aside and leapt into his arms, smothering him with sweet kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! :D


	40. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey shows off her wedding dress to her bridal party, and they gift their contributions to the "something borrowed, something blue" tradition.
> 
> Madame Tico gives Rey advice on how a political leader would stage a coup.
> 
> Rey receives another poem gift from Ben, this one decisively more provocative than the last. His words ignite her passion.

Time seemed to condense in a supernatural manner. The palace grew progressively more crowded, as guests from both sides of the family arrived and took up residence. For all the quiet peace the hallowed halls had possessed before, with the addition of more than twenty new people, talk seemed to echo up and down the marble halls, the palace a flurry of activity.

Whenever Rey wasn't sitting in on royal lessons with Rose, she was consulting Ahsoka on her dress, or discussing menu options with Daisy, or else, as she was today, surrounded by her company of bridesmaids. Rose, Paige, Phasma, Kaydel, Daisy, and Ahsoka were chatting up a storm, eagerly asking a million questions about the Dress, which Rey was finally going to show off.

Never having had a gaggle of girlfriends back home on Jakku, it was a little overwhelming, even if it was a joy.

“Ladies, ladies, please! Stop crowding the bride – give her a moment to breathe!” exclaimed Leia, sweeping into the room, her draping, chiffon, lilac gown so simple and elegant, that even without jewels or embellishment, it was obvious she was a queen.

“Apologies, your Majesty,” Phasma said, standing up a little straighter. “I tried to explain it to them, but apparently one dress is just too exciting.” Kaydel laughed from her seat on the arm of the drawing room's couch, and she and the Captain traded grins.

Ahsoka gasped, monstrously, and the Dragoon – for once dressed in casual, light gray civilian blouse and slacks – rolled her eyes.

“You would not be saying such a thing if you knew anything about clothing design!” the Astrae exclaimed, gently pushing Rey in the direction of the room divider, painted with scenery of a water garden. The bride managed to stall the Marchioness.

“But are you sure, Ahsoka? This isn't another assessment of hems or lines, or an impromptu pinning session, it's really done and ready to show off?”

“Yes! _Now go put it on!!_ ”

Rey chortled with laughter, rounding the side of the wooden, accordion divider. As her eyes alighted on the finished product, a grin split her face and tears rapidly sprung to her eyes.

“Marchioness Tano, you've simply outdone yourself...”

“Thank you, my dear – I know!”

“Okay, but besides that your dress royal blue, you haven't revealed a single thing about it!” Daisy complained, teasing. Tano chuckled, in her classic bubbly way.

“A true artist does not deign to reveal her secrets before their time!”

“What about its form? You could at least tell us what shape it is...” Paige murmured, voicing the group's popular opinion. Tano groaned, relenting.

“It's a full ballgown, with a flattering bodice, full skirt, and slight train.” The group hummed their approval as Rey, done shucking off her clothes, stepped into the dress and began tugging it on.

“Surprising. Its a touch more...dramatic than I would have expected for my lady,” said Rose, shrewd but polite.

Rey chuckled.

“If you don't know of my desire to a make a statement by now, Madame Rose, I fear I may have given you a sordid impression of myself,” she shouted over the divider, the full skirt settling comfortably over her hips, the bodice hugging her chest.

“Alright, Ahsoka, I'll need some help with the buttons now!” she called, and the Astrae came to her aid, sealing her up in the sea of fabric via the delicate, blue pearl buttons. Rey turned to face her, huffing out a nervous breath.

Ahsoka's hand cupped Rey's chin delicately, eyes filled with immeasurable kindness.

“Fear nothing, my dear. It's perfect.”

Rey stepped out with the Astrae leading her by the hand, and group dissolved into compliments and sighs and joyful exclamations.

“Deep, rich blue,” Rey had instructed “Something full and elegant, befitting the Hand's Lady, with just a touch of sparkle here and there. And...well this might sound a bit odd, but I want the layers of fabric to evoke the wings of butterflies...specifically crystal butterflies...”

It had taken many, many consultation sessions, experimentation with trim and pleats and tiny details, not to mention a dozen reams of fabric and countless color swatches, but here it was.

The bodice hugged her curves and flattered her waist, and while the sleeveless top was completely modest and close to her neck at the front, the reverse was backless. Sparkly lines of beading and black trim evoked vines in a dark, ancient forest, and trailed from the neckline to her waist, framing the hole at her back with effortless elegance. The skirt was huge, and each layer of fabric was shaped and colored exactly as if Ahsoka had hunted down giant crystal butterflies, stripped them of their black-tipped wings, and laid them atop one another, letting the pattern naturally bloom into a princess dress, with a dozen extra wings forming a train in her wake. The gorgeous blue gradient had been lovingly dotted with glittering beads, and the wings parted at the front to reveal the panel of an attached, rippling evening gown.

Ahsoka planted her in front of the mirror, and it was then that Rey couldn't retrain the tears any longer.

“Oh, my dear, don't fuss!” the Astrae chuckled, giving her shoulders a squeeze with her tanned, sunny arms.

“I just – I didn't expect-” Rey couldn't form a cohesive sentence, she was so overwhelmed by joy. She'd never felt so beautiful.

“It's brilliant, my lady. You're absolutely stunning,” said Phasma, patting her shoulder.

“It's so unique and detailed!” said Paige, moving closer, curiously examining the layers of the skirt.

“Certainly. You make for quite the unique vision...” Rose said, smiling and modest, inclining her head kindly, though her stiff military posture always lingered.

“I suppose this is good a time as any to tell you your shoes got here,” said Daisy, grinning broadly.

Rey gasped in delight.

“The 'something new's' here already?!” Daisy laughed, holding out the mauve shoe box out to her, and Rey plopped down on a couch to tear into it, tossing the gift wrap paper aside, and removed the two-inch, blue heels, covered in gemstones, slipping them on, and clasping shut the attached, dripping, sapphire anklets before she stood.

“Come on, give us a spin!” said Kaydel, twirling her finger. Rey indulged them, taking a moment to settle into the shoes. She'd need to take some time to break them in over the next few days. She wanted to be able to stand after her wedding day was over.

“I have to wonder, did you plan everything around this dress, Lady Rey?” Rose asked “Between the blue, violet, and white color scheme, and the delphinium and hyacinth flower arrangements I've seen arriving...”

Rey shrugged, blushing at Rose admiring her organization.

“I just tried to keep it tied to the simple color theme. As I said to Ben months ago, so long as no fighting breaks out and everyone is fed and some fun is had, I'm really not fussed about the menu or the color of the tablecloths or the placement of flowers.”

“Except for your confectionery-bread cake, of course!” Daisy gushed.

“What?”

“Really?!”

“I've never heard of that!”

“Oh trust me, ladies, you're in for a treat! Rey taught me the recipe earlier in the week, and the Jakku staple desert is _to die_ for!” Rey nodded in fervent agreement, watching the group's intrigue with a happy smile on her face.

It was only now, since donning the dress, that her gaze met Leia's from across the room. Nothing needed to be said. The groom's mother understood the meaning behind the gown perfectly, and her were filled with tears.

“Oh, Leia...” The bride walked over and embraced her mother-in-law. The group grew quiet at the tender sight, except for Ahsoka who rushed forward to give Leia a handkerchief and keep tear stains from getting on her masterpiece. The embrace was warm and firm, and lasted for several quite minutes, before Leia pulled away, clutching Rey's face.

“I suppose there's no point in keeping it a secret now, is there?” Leia said, speaking over Rey's shoulder to Ahsoka.

The Astrae shook her head.

“I think not, your Majesty.”

“Fetch it,” Leia said, and Ahsoka hurried from the room, shutting the drawing room's door carefully behind her. The Queen was quick to answer Rey's unspoken question.

“I'm to be your mother-in-law, my dear Rey – how could I not supply the 'something borrowed'?” Rey laughed, wiping the tears haphazardly from her own cheeks.

She sighed, mind suddenly a flurry of questions.

“What will it be like?” she asked, and Leia's smile became incandescent and she held her hands tight.

“You won't remember who said what, or who gave what gift, or maybe even remember who was there, but you'll remember how you felt perfectly. That, and the most embarrassing story that made everyone crack up.” The group chuckled at that, and Leia continued.

“The memory of that fragile, beautiful sensation will never leave you, not because of the significance of the day, but because of how much you mean to one another.

“Wedded bliss is a myth, my dear. The idea that a promise and a signed document can make a couple happy is the furthest thing from the truth – your love for one another makes that happiness, and it has to be nurtured and tended to each day. A wedding can give that love a voice and amplify it, but never the other way around.

“The best advice I can give you is to take it slow, and savor it when you can.”

Rey gave her mother-in-law's hands a squeeze.

“Thank you, Leia.”

“And take a nice, long honeymoon afterwards. You'll need a vacation to help relieve the high, and to simply be together and revel in one another's company. That, and to recover from the exhaustion...and the soreness.”

“ _Leia!!_ ” The room exploded, the girls beside themselves with laughter, even Rose, though she did a rather good job of hiding it.

A knock on the door and Rey approached, assuming Ahsoka was back.

“Pardon me, ladies, but might I intrude?”

_Ben._

Rey shrieked and sprinted to the back of the room, diving behind the divider.

“ _Is this a bad time?_ ” Ben exclaimed from the door's other side. Leia audibly sighed.

“Whatever it is, son, just crack the door and hand it over to me!” The door creaked open, and Leia tutted him affectionately.

“The groom doesn't typically participate in this tradition, Ben.”

“Nothing is typical about our relationship, Mom.” She groaned.

“Touché. Now get.”

The door shut, and Rey peeked over-top of the wood panel. Leia met her gaze.

“For argument's sake, let's say his grandmother supplied this one.”

Emerging, Rey spotted the golden, winding coronet in Leia's hands, the leaf-and-vine-like gold filigree delicate and light.

“Stars...I don't know if I can.”

“My mother was a Queen long before me, and left this universe far too young. But I heard tales of her righteous heart and feisty soul. She would want you to have this.” Rey crouched into a curtsy, honored, and Leia set the crown atop her head just so.

Her mother's smile was filled with pride when she rose.

“It's eerie,” murmured Rose “She's nearly the spitting image of Queen Amidala...”

“I had the same thought,” Kaydel breathed, speculative.

“It suites you well,” Leia nodded. Another knock at the door, eager and rapt. It could only be Ahsoka. “But there's one thing missing.”

Ahsoka slipped into the room clutching a long, rectangular box, beaming, and Leia cracked it open, the silken, silver-white veil sweeping out, shimmering like a waterfall and light as a cloud.

“Thank you, Leia...” Rey smiled, as the Queen pinned the veil to her hair, settling elegantly atop the crown, and flowing like a river down her back.

“Some lucky girl was bound to borrow my veil eventually,” Leia said, casually, though her eyes twinkled impishly “But I'm thrilled that it's you.”

And Rey embraced her, knowing without words, that this woman already considered her her daughter.

~*~*~*~

In the midst of all the chaos of planning the wedding, Rey was lucky when she got two seconds to breathe. But, even when she did, those quiet moments alone could be suffocating.

Her mind kept coming back to the same conclusions.

Of all the invites that had been returned with an answer, Emperor Snoke's had been the swiftest “yes.” As the wedding drew nearer, the time until the inevitable confrontation she and Ben would have with the most dangerous, powerful man in the galaxy grew closer as well.

And there was no telling what might come of it. But surely, it could not be anything good.

Commander Tico snapped shut the thick, conflict resolution text in her lap and rose from her seat on her desk in the small, sunny classroom, shattering Rey's reverie.

“Alright, my lady – what troubles you? You seem incapable of focusing on lessons, and given my experience with you, you are not the type to get lost in idle daydreams over your wedding. So tell me what it is.”

Rey grimaced, drumming her fingers. How to get out of this one?

“I don't know that it's the smartest thing to discuss, Madame Rose...” Rey breathed, gaze severe. Rose matched her intensity.

“If it concerns the safety or well-being of my lady, than I insist we discuss it, headless of the danger.”

Rey sighed.

“This never leaves this room, Madame Rose.”

“Understood.”

“How would one go about staging a successful political coup? Hypothetically?” Rey asked, fear and courage seized in both hands.

Commander Tico's brow did not furrow further, but it did not smooth into a more relaxed expression.

“Historically speaking, thorough and complete coups are difficult to enact even under extraordinary circumstances. For a coup to succeed, it is not merely the governmental head that needs to be dethroned, but their military and political power also needs to be diffused.”

“Can you elaborate, Madame?” Rose raised her brows a hair, but pressed on.

“It would be beneficial for the heads of the political and military machines to be in the same place, at the same time, and for potential successors for to be lined up as well – preferably ones that the people over which they rule would already approve or have experience with. That way, the transition from one power to another is less jarring.

“Regardless, History makes one thing very clear,” Rose said, eyes boring into Rey's, seeming to burn the Huitzi's words in to her brain “Coups that keep the existing frameworks of government are far more successful than outright revolutions. Revolutions result in too much chaos – entire systems are uprooted, lives are turned upside-down, and people are highly resistant to the change, even if it is made with the best intentions.

“Drastic upheavals of tradition take time, and patience. This is often where most coups fail. Beyond the fervor of a desire for change, they lack the wherewithal to follow through, and turn that desire for change into a concrete plan.”

“I see,” Rey nodded, severely “And...is it possible to stage a coup without the spilling of blood?” Rose's eyes took on a sad a quality.

“Sometimes. But others, the individual being removed from power carries too much malice, greed, and tyrannical tendencies to be effectively negotiated with, and go quietly.”

Rey took several slow, deep breaths.

“I thought as much.”

Rose almost managed to turn back to the conflict resolution book. Her sun-colored fingers were inches from the cover when she turned back to face Rey.

“Is there...something you wish to tell me, my lady?”

Rey's heart turned to ice in her chest.

“Not at this time, Madame Rose. But, thank you for answering my query.” Rose bowed low, and some of the ice around Rey's fearful heart thawed.

“I am eternally in your service, my lady.”

~*~*~*~

Rey flopped onto her bed at dusk, and almost immediately, BeeBee began jumping up and down on her back.

“I'll walk you in a minute, BeeBee. Please, I just need a breather...” The fox tugged on a loose hank of her messy bun and Rey yelped in pain.

“ _BeeBee!_ ”

The fox whined, needy and playful, and Rey groaned, rising to her feet and tromping over to her desk to pick up and toss the indestructible foam ball Ahsoka and Maul had gotten him to play with.

Her throw of the ball came off weaker than she intended, however, because her eyes alighted on the two new flowers in her desk's vase, and the cream envelope with her name on it beside it.

“Ben, what in the stars...” she murmured, wracking her brains to remember the meaning behind a coral-colored rose and a red poppy as she opened the envelope and pulled out the tri-fold letter.

_I hunger for you like a man starved_

Rey was certain her entire face had instantly turned a flaming shade of red. She barely even had time to comprehend her own wash of desire before a knock at her door made her jump.

“Hello, my lady! I was just passing by and wanted to ask if you needed anything else for the day after tomorrow-” asked Daisy.

“ _Nope! I'm perfectly prepared for the welcome party and Reading of Bands – not to worry!_ ” Rey yelped, voice high-pitched, as she shoved Ben's poem back into its envelope and dropped it on her desk.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

“FINE! Just fine! Could you do me a favor and get someone – anyone – to take BeeBee for a walk, and maybe have him fetch his toy a few times to get his energy out?” Rey said, seizing BeeBee and his leash and the foam ball, and passing them into the open arms of the head of household.

Daisy nodded, if a little wide-eyed and perplexed.

“Certainly, my lady. I'll find Marchioness Ahsoka, I'm sure she'd be more than will-”

“Great, _thank you!_ ” Rey said, gently pushing Daisy outside and shutting the door.

The second she heard Daisy hum with a shrug and walk away, Rey ran back over to the desk and ripped the letter from its casing, drinking in Ben's poem.

_I hunger for you like a man starved_

_Thirst like a man in a desert, bone-dry_

_I didn't think it conceivable that an Inferi could burn_

_But burn I did, mistaken with folly_

_I blaze from within,_

_From a desire as aged as the Ethereal Gods_

_The flame, a kin to those of Thirteenth Hell-born_

_It gives me no rest, no peace_

_It gutters when I wake to your lovely smile_

_It crackles when you drown me in kisses exquisite_

_It whispers when your fragrant hair tickles my skin_

_It roars as your cheek presses into my chest_

_I fear if I find no outlet soon,_

_The fire shall consume me entire,_

_The first Inferi to burn alive_

_I find myself breathless with dreams of our first_

_Longing vexes me, begs me to entwine with you_

_Twin vines, wrapped and coiled,_

_Tightly knotted, grown together,_

_Incapable of separation_

_My greatest wish,_

_To join with you in body and soul_

_So that no space between us shall remain_

_Hints of your euphoria threaten to keep me awake_

_The memories of your sweet symphonies and sighs_

_Tastes of your desires and nectar honeyed_

_My mind consumed with touch of lips_

_And brush of hand, so earnest and wanting_

_My aching rips through me and leaves me_

_Useless and restless_

_It is such a heated, burning agony_

_Reserved for you, and you alone_

_Set me free, my sweet_

_I want for nothing but to know you so,_

_To plumb your sweet, hidden caverns_

_To make a love anew, unknown as yet to any Mystic_

_To memorize that moment of connection complete,_

_The boiling, silken sensation of oneness,_

_Your musical cry as we fall to pieces_

_To be sweat-sheened and spent,_

_Sheets tangled in sailor knots_

_Sweetest skin against skin_

_And heaven found in your secret depths_

_And gorgeous heart_

_Say but the word and I shall fly to your arms_

_And fear not, my lust is unfathomable_

_A dark, endless, churning sea_

_Undercurrent roiling with want_

_I await your response with bated breath_

Rey swallowed, all moisture having left her mouth, and flipped through her _Language of Flowers_ book, though really, there was hardly any need.

As if she couldn't guess the meaning of the two blooms.

“'Pleasure' and 'desire,'” she breathed, and buried her face in her hands, head coming to rest on her desk.

The knot of want in her stomach had never been so tight. She certain she was dripping wet, and her breathing was deep and heated. She hadn't thought it was possible to desire her fiancé more than she already did, but he had swiftly proven her wrong.

At the same time, she was furious. How dare he leave something like that on her desk, as if such a thing was innocuous and sweet? He'd aroused her completely, and he'd been nowhere to be found all afternoon – going from meeting to meeting, greeting guests and assembling final preparations because they were _three whole days_ from their wedding day.

How dare he make himself impossible to find after-

Swift footsteps, carrying someone up the hall. Their weight seemed to be a match.

And then his presence curled closer to hers in the Ethereum, almost like a question.

She bolted from her desk, waited for the moment he stood outside her door, threw it open and pounced, seizing his lips and dragging him inside her room, slamming the door shut.

He groaned, so passionate and beautiful that their wasn't a doubt in her mind he wasn't on the same page.

“ _Rey –_ Rey my darling, _please_ -” he grunted out between assaults on his mouth, messy and hungry.

“ _Yes,_ ” she gasped, and Ben began backing her up towards the bed, tossing off his cloak, his vest, his shirt, in rapid succession, as Rey wrestled with the buttons on her airy, mint summer dress.

“Gods, I want you so much!” she panted, pulling him down to the mattress with her. And Ben _whined_.

“ _Rey!_ ” He clambered atop her, mouth bruising her lips with his ardor. “Gods, I want to make love to you _so badly..._ ”

“I know, my sweet – I read your poem!” she breathed, attacking his neck with nips and kisses, and he couldn't get the stubborn dress off her shoulders fast enough-

_KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!!_

The pair of them froze.

“Lady Rey!” Ahsoka. “I brought your little creature back for you!”

Rey buried her face in her hands, mortified.

Ben's dark gaze was comparable to a murderer's.

“Not the best time, cousin!!” he yelled, and Ahsoka's bark of laughter only made Rey's face flame more.

“I'll come back later then, my dears! Enjoy yourselves!”

Ben groaned, scarlet face burying itself in Rey's neck.

“I'm so sorry.”

“Gods, can't we just have one minute alone?”

“I know, baby, I know,” he breathed, nuzzling her cheek.

Contrary to her shame, the new endearment sent a pang of warm, chaste sweetness into her stomach.

“You've never used that one before...” His gaze was innocent, hopeful.

“...Do you mind it?”

“Not hardly.”

“Good,” he purred “Because I have a suspicion I'll be using it often...”

“Only so long as you don't mind me using it too, baby...” Rey grinned, and he looked _so_ irritated when he picked up his head.

“Now that's just unfair...” But she sat up to kiss him, and his chuckle made her lips tingle with the vibration, and her intuition knew he wasn't _truly_ upset.

“I'd still like us to do something...even though, it seems if we want to have a night to ourselves, we'll have to wait until after the wedding...” Rey groaned, bodice of her dress drooping forward to reveal her silky bra and toned stomach.

“ _Gods dammit..._ ” Ben swore, clutching her waist, fingers buried in her flesh, admiring the view from her shoulder, in spite of his frustration.

“I know. I feel the same. But I don't want us to have to rush, Ben. Where's the joy in it if we're stressed and in a hurry?”

He nodded, sobering a bit.

“I feel the same, my darling,” he murmured, cuddling close to her, noses brushing “I want nothing more than a whole, blissful night, spent surrounded by you...making love to you again and again...”

“ _Ben..._ ”

Her kiss breathed desire and lust back into him, fanning the flames beautifully. His hand snaked gently between her thighs, under the dress' lace layers, and began to massage her over-top of her panties. She moaned languidly and he softly growled.

“Tell me what you want, Rey. I want to make this perfect for you.”

“Well – if we're going to savor our first night for all it's worth, we should – _mmph! –_ stretch me out a bit before-hand!”

His tongue could suck her soul out of her if he lapped deep enough.

“Show me, my sweet.” Rey quickly shucked off her panties, tossing them aside. She guided his hand to her soaked center, but before she could direct him to her opening, he teased her pearl with his thumb so wonderfully she fell back against the sheets for a moment, keening.

“Couldn't resist...” he murmured against her lips, as she sat back up again and moved his other hand to support her lower back.

“Scoundrel,” she retorted, nipping his bottom lip and making him gasp as she lead his coated fingers lower. “Just one to start, and think of it as curling your fingers in, hook-like, rather than just pushing straight up.”

One more peck and he did just that, yelping with surprise when his finger slid in with ease.

“I didn't expect to be that easy! Are you okay?!” Her walls gripped his finger a bit tighter for a moment, and her euphoric smile made him swoon.

“Wonderful, Ben. Just wonderful!” He breathed a sigh of relief and kissed her flushed lips. He searched around, gentle and curious, reaching back as she took him further in the wider her thighs spread. He felt a slightly different patch of skin, softer, smoother, on her upper wall.

“Is that it?” Her eyes were effortlessly seductive, with her pupils large and her eyes hooded like that.

“Why don't you find out?”

Her cry as he began to massage her G-spot in the “come-hither” motion was otherworldly.

“ _Ben – YES!_ ” He couldn't help it. He laughed, jubilant.

“Stars, my love, I didn't think you'd be quite so loud!”

The slap against his shoulder stung, but he did little more than wince.

“Make fun of me like that again, and I'll return the favor and make you whimper!” she gasped, hips bucking against his fingers as each touch made more and more nectar drip from her body and onto his hand.

He kissed her fiercely.

“Forgive me, my lady. I just love your moans, so!” he grunted, digging his fingers into the spot harder, faster, making Rey keen and shudder.

“You – can try – two – now!” she gasped, and Ben slowed, speculative. She saw the worry in his eyes, and rubbed his wrist, tenderly. “It'll be fine. I'm very flexible. The tricky part is just getting past the first ring of muscle.”

“Okay...” he breathed, uncertain, beginning to pull out his index finger until Rey stopped him, holding his wrist.

“Leave it in, just push it over against the side and make room to curl a second in. It won't hurt me, my dear. Trust me.”

Taking a breath, Ben did his best to follow her instructions...

Her muscles clamped down on his two fingers and she grimaced, grunting painfully. His heart could have shattered.

“ _Shit!_ Rey, I'm so sorry-”

“I'll be fine. I just need to relax, my love.” He sat, waiting with bated breath while Rey's body adjusted. And when it did, the lust in her eyes when she bit her lip and looked at him...

“Go...” she breathed.

In a matter of _seconds_ she was on her back, moaning his name. His hard-on strained against his pants, aching.

“Gods above, Rey, you _gorgeous_ creature!”

“Faster, my love! Please!!”

He complied, the _slick slick slick_ of his fingers in and out of her an intoxicating sound. She trembled and shook, heading jerking from side to side, and suddenly her walls clamped down around his fingers, vice-like.

“ _Oh STARS!!_ ” she cried, and he kissed her through the steady stream of pulses he felt around his digits, until he felt her calm.

“My sexy minx, you amaze me so...” he smiled, taking in the sight of her blissed-out eyes.

“Don't stop.”

“What?”

Rey grinned, positively devilish.

“Don't stop, Ben. I can keep going...”

“Right, you said you can have multiple releases – okay...” he murmured.

In a matter of minutes, he felt as if he'd discovered the Ethereum's birthplace itself. She was magickal, utterly incredible. Just when he thought she was done, was covered in sweat, hair plastered to her forehead, and couldn't possibly take another, she begged him for _just one more_ and he obeyed, heart and groin aching for her.

She was screaming for him, coming again and again and _again_. And he was completely, hopelessly in love with her.

“ _Last one! Last one and I'll be good!_ ” she cried, and he plowed her with his fingers, hard, hand now soaked in her sweet lubrication. Her entire body arched against him gorgeously.

“ _FUCK!_ ” Rey yelled, and collapsed against the sheets, walls seizing him more tightly than ever, and he covered her face in kisses as he gently pulled his fingers free.

“Rey...my gorgeous, wonderful, exquisite wife...” Her smile was beaming, as she looked at him, half-lidded and utterly satisfied.

“Not just yet, but close enough that I'll allow it...” He just kept shaking his head, wonder-struck. When she felt she had the strength for it, Rey sat up.

“What in the stars is that look for?”

“I never would've guessed you could just keep releasing – Rey, your body is _amazing_.” She laughed, easy and joyous.

“Just wait until it tries to incubate a child for nine months.” His jubilant kiss, when he parted from her, ended with a slobbery, wet _smack._

“ _Be-en!_ ” she whined, but nothing could bring him down from his high. He cuddled against her ear, breathing in her sweet, salty scent.

“I loved that, Rey. Every single second.”

“Hmmm...Ben, you're a treasure...” Rey hummed, pecking his temple. He blushed and chuckled.

“Now you're just being facetious...”

“Not hardly.”

She seized him in her hand, and he grunted.

“ _Rey..._ ”

“If you're about to argue against me pleasing you, you can save your breath,” she said, smooching his forehead and making him smile “This is a mutual relationship, sweetheart – only equal exchanges allowed.”

“Rey, I already love you more than I would've thought possible. Please don't make my heart burst with your endearments...” he whispered, as she unbuckled his belt and freed him from his trousers.

He sighed with blissful relief when she took his turgid length in hand.

“What if I made something else burst?” she said, voice lilting. And when she licked his head, he fell back, certain the sheer amount of desire would make him pass out. But it didn't.

Lust swirled in his stomach, hot and urgent, and he gasped and whined through it as Rey assaulted him with his tongue, licking up and down the length, circling and suckling his head. He could only groan through the absolute pleasure as his erection wept with want.

“ _Rey – you perfect woman!_ ” he moaned, hurtling towards his end rapidly, between her long, firm strokes, the teasing of her tongue, and the long wait he'd patiently endured. “ _You and your superb tongue – FUCK! I want to make you scream, baby!!_ ” he roared, fingers gripping the duvet with white knuckles, anything to give him purchase as he roiled.

“I look forward to it so much, baby!” she gasped, and he exploded, covering her sheets, dress, and hands with his seed, left shaking from the power of his release.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	41. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before the wedding, Rey and Kylo greet all their guests over brunch. The Reading of Bands takes place, formally declaring their intent to wed.
> 
> ...And then all Hell breaks loose.

It should have served as a warning, the tossing and turning Ben experienced two nights before the wedding. As should have the darkened circles under his eyes. But, though Rey asked what had plagued his sleep so, he couldn't have told her even if he wanted to.

He couldn't remember the nightmares. Just the discomfort left in their wake.

So it was that Rey awoke the day before her wedding with a happy, sleepy smile, gazing at the fiery sunrise. She yawned and stretched, and was bemused at Ben's absence, the loss of warmth on his side of the bed, but shrugged. Surely, he was around, somewhere. She rose and glanced out his bedroom windows, taking in her garden and the gorgeous Wisteria, illuminated in gold, and spotted two familiar figures, seated side-by-side.

Odd, and what were they doing surrounded by candles?-

Of course! _The bachelor candlelight vigil._

And he was doing it with...Rey beamed, heart soaring. At least, with all her meddling, she'd been able to bring justice to this small part of the universe.

No companion could have been better for Ben to share this tradition with than his father.

Rey returned to her room and dressed for the eventful day ahead with pride and joy in her heart. The party today was one-half a formal welcome to all the wedding guests, the other half the Reading of Bands. It was the formal announcement of their intention to be wed. It was an older tradition of Nightmare courtship, and was usually done months in advance, not days, but Ben still felt it was important to do it, if just to satisfy the Court's centenarians.

As such, Rey donned the dress Ahsoka had modified for any sort of reception-like purposes – a silk and lace, white, tea-length dress, that she matched with white dress flats, her Duster scarf, elegantly arranged on her shoulders, subtle, modest makeup, a mature up-do, and her ring and Niiman engagement armband.

Within minutes, Ahsoka was there with breakfast, practically banging down her door.

“Nervous?” asked the Astrae, grinning from ear to ear as Rey calmly chewed her porridge.

“Ask me that again tomorrow,” Rey laughed between spoonfuls, and Ahsoka nodded knowingly.

“I know what you mean. The Reading of Bands felt like such a formality to me, too, that I didn't sweat it at all. Of course, I was hardly in love with Maul at the time. It took months for that to happen, and more time still for me to look forward to our wedding.”

“Stars, how long was your courtship?!”

“Long – even by Nightmare standards!”

“Well, now I feel cheated!”

“You _wanted_ to get married this soon!” And the pair dissolved into laughter.

“I see you've prepared your bouquet, very wise of you,” Ahsoka noted, once the giggles subsided, wandering over the to the bundle of a dozen roses and inhaling the subtle scent of the soft yellow, melting into dark pink, blooms. “Wonderfully unique choice of color!”

“I wanted them to stand out from rest of the color scheme. Plus, I knew I wanted to have some hint of yellow in them, somewhere.”

“To represent your happiness?”

“Hmmm, quite so, Marchioness Tano,” Rey grinned, relenting sheepishly.

The soft knock at the door had Ahsoka gasping, leading Rey to assume it could only be one person.

“Stars, what now?” The Astrae _squealed._

“Go on – answer!!”

Ben's eyes were glowing with affection when she swept open the door.

“Good morning, my sweet,” he said, bowing low. “I have something for you...” he murmured, eyes twinkling.

“Haven't you already given me enough, Ben?” Rey said, hands resting on her hips.

“Mayhaps...” he said, shrugging boyishly. She rolled her eyes.

“Quit your teasing and show me.”

He grinned, canines peeking out beautifully.

“In accordance with Nightmare tradition, as you know, the bride-to-be receives a bouquet made by friends or family – usually the mother-in-law – though you insisted on making yours yourself-” Rey shrugged coquettishly, apologizing for nothing.

No one could grow flowers like she could.

“But strictly speaking, that's not true. A Nightmare bride is meant to have _two_ bouquets, one from her family, and one from the groom...”

He brought in front of him the verdant bouquet he'd had clutched behind his back the entire time and Rey swooned.

“Ben...” She happily accepted the multiple stalks of rich, dark holly and spiraling, green ivy, wrapped in iridescent white paper, the emerald plants surrounding a darling, periwinkle bloom of flax at the bouquet's center.

“They're all traditional good luck symbols for weddings – nothing too fancy, really...” he said, his gaze doting, though Rey had to shake her head at his absurd modesty.

“Care to explain them to me?” she beamed. He huffed with a laugh, flushing.

“The flax represents domesticity,” he said, pointing to the flowers and branches in turn “The holly defense and domestic happiness, and the ivy wedded love, fidelity, and affection.” Rey embraced him, letting her body soak up the warmth of his guttering heart.

“I love it. Thank you, my dear.”

He kissed her temple, presence soaring.

“You're welcome, my sweet.”

“Okay, okay now, move along and dressed and have a bite to eat, cousin! Your guests are waiting!” Ahsoka said, shooing him away.

“Yes, of course. Time to please the masses,” Ben said, rolling his eyes as he saw to his tasks.

Minutes later, they made their way downstairs, arm in arm. The palace staff had truly outdone themselves in the course of three weeks. The dark crimson drapery at the windows had been exchanged for lighter, creamier fare, every surface gleamed with polish and shine. And the flowers....

Delphinium, hyacinths and roses filled every vase, snaked down every banister, and lined every sill. The whole palace was fragrant and enchanted, and Rey would have felt dreadful about the excess if she hadn't grown most of the blooms out of nothing, herself.

The betrothed pair made their way to the entrance hall to greet the Court and the family. It was an uplifting sight to see the Ticos, Kaydel, and Phasma dressed to the nines and socializing, and Daisy and Matt by each other's side, openly holding hands, and without a care in the world. Embracing Finn and Poe after having missed their late-night arrival the day before bolstered and ignited her very soul with happiness, and they exchanged quick, quiet, joyful hello's with Ben's parents and Chewbacca, trying not to draw too much attention to the royal pair. But for the most part, meeting and greeting everyone was wearisome work.

Rey and Ben received all variety of reactions from the family, from questions about the absence of Ben's mask from Count Grievous, to disapproving glares from Duke Desolous, Duchess Phobos, and the Lord Grand Inquisitor – Cognus' three precious children. Earl Tyranus was indifferent to them, if not ignoring them entirely as he conversed with Lady Skyre in a shadowed corner of the hall, and Lord Sidious offered Rey a sickening, lecherous smile.

The Knights of Ren were decked out in their dark armor, and rather intimidating as they stood around the bottom of the East wing stairs. But then Ben approached them boldly, calling out “My brothers!” and the couple was swarmed, surrounded by enthusiastic greetings and fervent congratulations on all sides by Ben's loyal comrades.

Finally though, after an hour or so of small talk and circling the tables laden with appetizers and finger-food, the couple came upon the last guest they needed to greet.

“Good day to you, Lord Plagueis,” Ben greeted, summoning up not so much a modest smile as an attentive expression. The wizened Inferi glanced about at the mention his name, dark eyes squinting wearily from under his cloak.

Then his long, drooping face lifted into a smile.

“Kylo, my boy, I didn't recognize you for a moment there! Finally decided you could do without the old helmet, I see?”

As for the difference in names, Rey and Ben had decided not to correct the Imperial court who weren't in the know on this matter – Ben could handle being addressed by either name. He was indifferent towards his old name these days, as it no longer captured his interest, or held power over him.

“Indeed, Lord Plagueis. I've decided to put away the childish helm for good,” Ben said, with a hint of a genuine smile crossing his face again, despite his weariness.

“Well done, my boy! I'm proud of you for it! As I always said, the green Nightmare conceals his identity, but the wise one bares it with pride,” the ancient Inferi said, giving his “grandson” a pat on the shoulder “To think, you were on the cusp of manhood when you joined the Nightmare order, and now you're to be wedded to your lovely Somni bride.”

Ben's smile grew, as did Rey's. If only all the members of the Court could give such genuine compliments.

“Well said, Lord Plagueis. It has been quite the journey.”

“I look forward to tomorrow's festivities,” grinned the old Mystic, hobbling away.

A long, double _clap_ was heard from the center of the room, and the murmur of conversation died. Maul and Ahsoka stood there, and, knowing their roles, Ben and Rey briefly parted and walked up to their respective chaperones.

“It is with great honor and righteous joy that we announce to the Ethereum a holy truth!” Ahsoka began, voice carrying with the importance of her rehearsed words.

“The man and woman before you possess a great love, and are soon to be bound in matrimony, sworn to each other, and forsaking all others, for life,” Maul continued, projecting as well.

“Face one another, meet each others eyes,” Ahsoka instructed, and Rey and Ben turned inward. Ahsoka moved between them, holding up the ceremonial ribbon, dark as ebony, for all to see.

“With this tie the promise is bound, their souls entwined,” Ahsoka spoke boldly, wrapping a complex, winding net around the pair of hands nearest her, Ben holding Rey's palm in his.

Ahsoka had warned Rey the cutting off of her circulation was a part of the tradition, but even so, the tingling numbness that spread through her fingers was a touch uncomfortable.

“All who are present are witness to this, their sacred promise!” Maul declared “If any should find their commitment bares falsehoods, speak now before it is sealed in matrimony for all time!”

The double doors _crashed_ open, shaking the walls with the sudden, jarring impact. Imperial soldiers – Beetles, Pyrites, and Dragoons – marched inside, metallic, fiery, polished stone armor reflecting the sunlight with blinding effect. The wedding party was surrounded in a perfect semicircle, crossbows, spears, and swords leveled at them, and following the troops were two shadowy, tall figures, blotted out by the morning sun.

However, as the doors closed behind them, at the taller man's command, it became painfully, horrifically obvious who he was.

Ben gripped Rey's hand, white-knuckled, but he did not cast his helmet around him. He made no move to change his black velvet suit coat into formal Imperial leather armor.

Emperor Snoke _clicked_ his tongue disdainfully, shaking his head.

“Kylo, my naïve boy...my champion, my fallen prince,” Snoke mused, tucking his hands into his gold, bell-shaped sleeves. “How you have disappointed me these past months,” he hissed, quiet, but voice low with warning and rage.

“Fraternizing with a powerful Mystic woman, well, that would have been one thing. Luminous Star Children though we may be, we still must tend to the needs of the flesh,” he said, lips lifting into a sickening smile as he sauntered ever closer, not even slightly bothered by the powerful collection of Mystics under one roof. He knew his Court well, noted how they shivered and shrank away from him.

They would not dare question his authority.

Snoke stopped, feet from them.

“But then...you did something truly _stupid_ ,” Snoke snarled, lips curling back over his teeth “You revealed the weakness I worked so hard, for so long, to snuff out. Your malleable, soft heart became supplicant to a _Somni_. The fault of your blood showed itself, and you plummeted back to the depths.”

The Emperor began to applaud, slow and sarcastic, and it only made Rey's heart hammer faster with fear.

“Congratulations, my boy, you have truly become a weak, frivolous Solo again, and in doing so, failed your master...” he growled, eyes dangerous and dark. “I almost wouldn't have believed it myself, were it not for the detailed accounts of my most trusted informant,” Snoke said, with a wide sweep of his arm.

And out from behind Snoke stepped Hux, red hair ablaze, with the most smug, victorious expression on his face.

Rey almost had half a mind to charge and attack the rapist, but Ben held her back.

“Fortunately enough, my pupil, not all is yet lost. I ask for just one offering, a gesture to begin your atonement, to allow for the least amount of bloodshed, and to ease the change in the difficult, tumultuous time ahead,” Snoke said silkily, picking off a nonexistent piece of lint from his gold robe.

His eyes were the tint of Hellfire when he turned them Ben's way again.

“Hand over the girl.”

Ben's darkness roared around him, eyes red-hot coals staring out from skin as black as midnight.

“ _Never._ ”

Snoke inclined his head in a shrug.

“So be it.”

A scream tore from Ben's throat as Snoke thrust his hand forward in a claw, and he collapsed onto the floor. He twitched and spasmed as if lightning were coursing through his veins, and though the light in the room had dulled monstrously from the sheer power of Snoke's magicks, it was not so dark that Rey couldn't see the pale, sinuous, whipping ropes of power assaulting Ben's body.

The Seer was digging his claws into him.

Rey roared and charged, and the Imperial Dragoon soldiers descend on her, piling one after another on top of her, until the weight on her body grew so great she had no hope of rising to his aid.

Snoke cackled with sadistic laughter, sparks crackling with twisted, ultramarine light across his shoulders, and the room exploded into pandemonium. Lightning flashed and thundered. The crowd screamed and scattered, racing for cover as the palace shook. The West wing staircase crumbled to bits, the marble beneath their feet cracked, and the chandelier above caught fire and fell from the ceiling with a colossal, glassy _crash_ , crystal scattering in glittering, burning shards at their feet.

Ben fought, and fought hard, voice hoarse from screaming long before it was over. But eventually, Snoke's magick simply proved too strong. The translucent tendrils seized Ben by his flame-heart, dragged him aloft, and slithered down his throat, choking him, forced themselves behind his eyes, raped his very being.

When his body fell to the floor again, he did not rise from his bow until the cloud of ash had settled, revealing the six-pointed star helm, the leather armor, and a visor-hole for his eyes that had been blacked out completely.

“Forgive me my sins, master. It is my life's grand purpose to serve you,” Kylo said, voice warbling with infrasonic strength.

But it was a dead sound.

There was no hope, no joy, no anger in his tone. Only mindless loyalty, devoid of meaning or warmth. The marionette strings had been tethered.

And his presence beside her in the Ethereum, her constant companion, even in sleep...that warm, beacon of color and light had gone cold.

“ _Ben – no!!_ ” Rey shrieked, voice wracked by sobs, tears raining down to stain her cheeks. He didn't even look at her, didn't even _stir_.

“Take her from my sight and lock her up. I will deal with her in due time,” commanded Snoke with a flick of his fingers.

The Dragoon guards hoisted Rey to her feet and dragged her away, punching her in the gut and knocking all the wind out of her when she fought like Hell to get to him.

The staircases and corridors were long, and dark, and increasingly cold, and if Rey's despair hadn't eclipsed her heart completely, she would have had the wherewithal to note the turns and the path they took.

But she had nothing left to give.

When they tossed her into the sparse basalt cell, the cot's mattress reeking of mold, and locked the rusted, iron door behind her, Rey, just an empty shell, curled in on herself on the cold stone floor.

~*~*~*~

If there was one thing Paige had learned, in all her many, storied years as a loyal Imperial employee, it was that no one noticed a servant.

They were the palace's invisible worker bees, vaguely seen and never heard in all the generations they'd served the cruel Imperial Court.

So it was that guards were focused entirely on the Uni-Screens of the security system when Paige picked up their empty, grimy lunch trays, snatched up the iron key ring with swift ease, and sandwiched it between the trays. After all, Rey was under nearly constant watch, anyhow.

They wouldn't require the keys until someone served her dinner.

Which would be in about twenty minutes.

She moved swiftly down to the kitchen through conspicuous front hallways. The easiest way to hide was in plain sight.

“Dirty trays for cleaning!” she called upon entering the smoky, humid, _clanging_ kitchen.

“Oh, Gods dammit! We're already under staffed as it is!” Daisy yelled, to anyone's knowledge, genuinely irate. “I'll take the bloody things!” she said, yanking the trays from Paige's hands.

Skirting around the furiously working staff, trying to rustle up food for an unexpected ten additional regiments of troops, she plopped the load in the sink. Daisy scrubbing them spotless, and dropped the key into her apron pocket as she put the first tray on the drying rack.

Her chore complete, she called out:

“Dinner done for any far-removed staff yet? I have two spare minutes!”

“Beef-stew prepped for Commander Tico!” Paige yelled back, handing off Daisy's excuse.

Up the winding staircases, out of the sweltering heat of the kitchen, but even still the Frost Fae sweated each time she passed a guard on the way to Rose's classroom on the first floor.

“Your dinner, Commander Tico,” said Daisy with a perfunctory curtsy, as she slipped her the iron key, stuffing it into the master of ceremonies' planner.

“Thank you very much, Daisy,” muttered the tutor, appearing totally absorbed in her text.

Three minutes after Daisy left, Rose went for some air at the edge of the garden doors just down the hall. There was a break in a guards, so she wouldn't be harassed to get back inside.

Out of the bushes popped BeeBee's rusty-sand-covered head. Rose pretended to drop her planner and bent down.

“Take this to Matt, little one. There's jerky in it for you if you do!” she murmured, not sure if her words registered to the fox. But, nevertheless, the critter took the iron key in his mouth and trotted across the garden, wended through the underground tunnels he'd dug off of his burrow, and popped out beside the four-foot pit where Matt was repairing the palace's spotty waterline.

“What'cha got there, little fella? Is that for me?” BeeBee yipped and dropped the key in Matt's grease-smudged palm. “Let's see then...three inch handle, simple bow, but the blade...triple-toothed, razor cross-section, _whooh!_ ” Matt wiped the sweat from his forehead, the heat no less of a pain now that the sun was no longer directly overhead.

“Tricky for old metal working but, not tricky enough. Should've switched out those old iron cells for electronic locks years ago, eh buddy?” Matt said, to an indifferent, panting BeeBee.

“Then again, if they had, it would've been almost too easy for us to break Rey out...” the Golem said, grinning devilishly to himself, as he took the spare piece of iron pipe he'd had broken off in advance in hand, and began to work. It took nearly ten minutes of twisting and pulling and straining, and no shortage of pressing the metal fragment to the hot water line to soften it up and make it easier to mold and shape, but by the end of it, Matt had made a perfect copy of the cell key with just his Golem hands.

“Sometimes I even amaze myself,” Matt chuckled, tucking the copy-key safely into his orange vest's breast pocket. “Thank you, little vixen. You can take that back to the Commander now,” he said, holding out the original key for BeeBee to take into his humid mouth.

And the fox sprinted back to the garden doors, spitting the key into Rose's planner before the returning guard stationed himself to yell at her, whereupon she swallowed what dinner she could. She left the key tucked under her bowl for Paige, so that her sister could return the cell key to the desks of security guards along with their dinner.

It was as if it had never even left.

The only noticeable change in all the palace, in fact, was that the Hand's former-fiancé's fox dropped by the kitchen's back door, and left with a very full, satisfied stomach, courtesy of Paige, who put Rose's left-over beef stew to good use.

~*~*~*~

Rey didn't touch her lunch when it was delivered to her, and not exclusively because the slop was tossed at her through the cracked cell door, but because she had resolved herself to the inevitable. With Ben gone, hope was dead.

Together, they stood every chance.

But with her other half, her love, her soulmate possessed by his former master and bent to his whims, there was no way she was getting out of this alive.

What little did sustenance matter in the face of that inevitability?

So it was that the hours passed in silent contemplation, the sun crossing the floor through the gaps in the thin cell window's bars. The guards rotated, but after the fourth switch, Rey no longer even picked up her head to acknowledge the change.

Just kept her back pressed to the cold iron, knees hugged to her chest.

“I've come to deliver a message.”

None of the previous guards had made any effort to talk to her, not even to jeer. But it wasn't the fact that this guard had spoken that made her heart nearly leap out of her chest, but the tone.

The depth and familiarity of that voice.

Rey fell against the cell door, clutching the bars.

“ _Ben!_ ” she gasped, hoping against hope, tears in her eyes all over again. Kylo Ren turned to face her, perfectly efficient and clinical in that one singular movement, it was almost mechanical. He barely seemed human anymore.

“That name has no meaning for me now,” he said, frank and calm, but that wasn't right. He should be furious. The Kylo she had known would have _screamed_ at her for misnaming him. But he didn't.

Rey shook the bars in feral frustration.

“ _Dammit, Ben, fight him!_ ” she sobbed “Come on!! I know you're in there!! Fight him, please, _I'm begging you, you CAN'T just be gone!!_ ” She was wracked with grief, inconsolable.

Kylo didn't even give pause.

“Before midnight, my sire shall summon you. You have until then to reflect on his offer to join him, and fight alongside him, solidifying his great and glorious Empire's absolute rule. Decline his offer, and a painful, slow death will be inflicted upon you, to his great satisfaction.”

“ _Ben, DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!!!_ ”

Kylo ceased speaking. But beyond that, there was nothing in his posture, his movement, anything, that indicated he was still there.

Still, she had to try.

She reached across their bond, stretching for his mind.

“ _Ben, please, I love you..._ ” But their connection was shut, his thoughts inaccessible. Snoke had put up too strong of a barrier, sealed her off from him completely. She wept, chest heaving without sign of stopping. Surely, she would choke to death on her phlegm ages before Snoke called her to her execution.

Then suddenly, her mind seemed to clear.

She couldn't fathom the sudden sensation of peace and calm, the sensation that everything would be alright. She searched her mind, her magicks, herself...and there it was.

Kylo's intuition alongside hers in the Ethereum, not cold and bereft like before. But soothing, comforting, soft, warm...

Comforting _her._

_He was still alive!_

Rey couldn't help it. She laughed, face splitting into a grin.

“I knew it!!! Ben, I knew it, I knew you couldn't just be gone!! _Thank the Nine Heavens...!_ ” She was crying for an entirely different reason now, searching for a scrap of lace on her dress that wasn't yet dirt-covered so she could wipe her eyes and nose clean.

His presence responded in radiant elation. He'd heard her! He couldn't communicate with words, thoughts, or actions, but he could respond with his emotions!

“Okay! Okay, so, you can't control your body, and I can't reach your thoughts, but you're still there! You can hear me?!”

Relief.

“Stars above, I'm so glad! Did – did you come here to tell me something else? Is someone staging a rescue mission?”

Confidence, but...confusion?

“So...you think someone likely is but you don't know about it?”

Sadness. Regret. Guilt.

“Sweetheart, don't blame yourself – Snoke is a bloody powerful Mystic. But before midnight, fear not, we'll take him on together and he'll never see it coming!”

Caution. Worry.

“Of course we'll need to be careful and smart. We'll have to cause some sort of distraction so Snoke will be thrown off and his hold on you loosened just enough so I can free you and we can fight back!”

Hope. Love. A bit of courage in a sea of fear.

“We can do this – I'm sure of it! So, can I expect a rescue then or no?”

Fervent, rebellious certainty.

“Okay. I'll hold tight then. If not, I can always try melting the bars.”

Even if she'd never felt his sarcasm before, she could pick up on the tang easily enough.

“Yes, I know it's not the smartest plan, but it's what I've got. Besides, my real weapon isn't my magick. You know that, dearest.”

His presence almost seemed to smile.

“You should get going, my love. I don't want Snoke to become suspicious.”

Kylo turned from her smoothly.

“You have six hours to contemplate you fate,” he said, fatalistic, and walked swiftly from the room, hands clasped behind his back.

Rey settled back onto the floor, but now the iron bars seemed to straighten her spine, granting it strength, and each inch the sunlight rotated around the room wasn't time wasted, but another minute closer to getting her soulmate back and slaying his abuser.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	42. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The members of Rey's wedding party put their heads together and call for help.
> 
> Phasma springs Rey from her cell and they race to the main hall to stop Leia's execution.
> 
> The time has come for Rey and Ben to face their respective daemons.

“The security access code is 'RedFive,' any Republic channel should do,” Finn muttered over Rose's shoulder, as Poe paced nervously behind them in the rows of Uni-Screens of the security center.

“Are you sure we're clear?!” the Golem asked, anxiously.

“YES, Dameron, just like we have been for the last ten minutes,” Matt retorted from his post by the door, leaned against the frame, half in, half out of the room.

“I'm telling you, Lieutenant Zack and guardsman Tim are the biggest cock-ups on staff – they're lazy, stupid, and can't even follow the simplest of orders. No one is going to come looking for them!”

“Not even when they're supposed to clock out?” Poe said, with his hands on his hips.

“They forget most of the time – would you drop it?!” Matt snapped. Poe gawked, panicked.

“And why are we trusting her?! Wasn't she a former Imperial officer?!?!”

Rose whipped around, solar eyes threatening to burn holes in Poe's kitchen staff disguise – a starched white shirt and black pants which Finn now also shared. Poe yelped and she stopped squinting.

“I was practically born into this system, fly-boy. If anyone has reason to turn against the Empire, it's a Huitzi like me who didn't have a say in the matter to begin with.” She turned back, and continued tapping away at the Uni-Screen, rapid-fire.

“Besides...they forced me and my sister apart and hid her from me for years...” Finn's eyebrows turned up in distress.

“I'm so sorry, Commander. I know how that feels.”

The Huitzi met the Duster's eyes knowingly.

“It's in the past now. All that matters is that I got her back. And, even if someone does come looking for Zack and Tim,” Rose said, glancing at the electronic clock on the wall “We'll be long – gone – by then...” she murmured, as her fingers flew over the keys.

The Uni-Screen gave a soft, pleasant hum.

“There. Hacked into the Palace's secure out-going line...linking to primary Republic channels, access code RedFive...what message will get them out here fastest?”

“'SOS, Imperial armada, code red. Chandrilan Queen taken hostage.'” Finn recited, as Rose typed up the message.

“Would adding 'threat of galaxy takeover' to it help?!” Poe squeaked. Finn sighed, and went to his partner's aid, grasping his arms.

“No, babe. But its gonna be okay. I don't know how, but at the very least that message will get the Republic fleet knocking on our door within a matter of hours,” Finn said, eyes boring into his partner's. “Now, will you please take a few deep breaths?” Poe did as Finn asked, eyes slipping shut for a second, before snapping open again wide, as he huffed out a breath.

“You'd think I'd be more cut out for this kind of pressure-filled situation...”

“You slept through stress-management,” Finn dead-panned.

“ _That's_ what that class was for?!”

Finn groaned.

“If we get out of this alive, you're re-taking that course.”

“You're telling me-!”

“Okay, that's enough! Move out troops!” barked Rose, as she punched in their coordinates, waited a tick for the SOS to go through, and then melted the power cord snaking underneath the tables, frying her Uni-Screen and the ones on either side with her Huitzi pyrokinetics. She looked at the sparking, melted cubes of steel and glass with a satisfied smile.

“I'd like to see Zack and Tim trace that signal!”

Matt snorted.

“Especially when they wake up with pounding headaches in the supply closet!”

And the group retreated back to the kitchen to wait while Phasma raced to play her part.

~*~*~*~

“Alright your ladyship, it is well past time for you to get out of this ghastly cell,” whispered Phasma through the layers of her chrome Captain's helmet. Rey broke out in a grin.

“Phasma!” she exclaimed at a whisper, in case any other guards were close. Using the copy of the iron key, the cell door opened with ease, staying blessedly silent.

“I suspect it wouldn't have been long before Snoke would have sent for you – but we're out of time!” The Dragoon hissed as she took Rey by the arm, faking the prisoner's hold as she did nothing to restrain Rey's wrists.

“What? Why?!”

“You'll see in a moment. Walk quickly. The others are waiting in the wings in case things go South too soon, but we fear you might be the only one who can save the Queen.”

“ _The Queen?!_ ” Rey bit out, and at Phasma's affirming nod, she picked up the pace as they raced up winding stair after winding stair, out of the cold and damp of the dungeons and back into the palace.

“They're gathered in the entrance hall, but we need to get to a higher perch,” Phasma whispered, once they were well past a lined of stationed, indifferent guards. They turned a blind corner and went a floor higher still, stopping at the mouth of the staircase.

Rey had to bit down hard on her tongue to keep from screaming.

Beyond the ruins of the broken and charred second floor balcony, from the fixture that had once held up the chandelier, hung Leia, arms trapped by her sides by a length of rope, the rope-pulley system the only thing holding her aloft and keeping her from plummeting the five stories onto the marble beneath.

“Why?” Rey said, just above a breath.

“Snoke wanted a more painful execution, to be sure, but nothing would leave the body so well preserved and whole, the better to prove to the free galaxy that the Republic's most staunch supporter was dead. That, and he claimed stabbing, shooting, or beheading were too quick and painless deaths for her,” Phasma growled, with nearly boiling vitriol.

Rey tightened her scarf around her neck, preparing herself and squaring her shoulders. The East wing balcony was directly across from them, on Leia's right side. It was nearly eighty feet away, but she had the perfect angle of attack. It was a straight shot between her and the Queen.

Phasma glanced up and down the hallway, checking.

“Clear, for now,” the Captain breathed. Rey inched forward, glancing down from the balcony carefully. There was no longer a railing to help conceal her.

The Court below was still surrounded by Imperial troops, settled on the floor after a day spent cornered and at spear-point. Snoke was opposite them, some distance away, pontificating while he padded amongst the broken chandelier. Kylo stood stiffly, a few steps from the Emperor's side. Hux had joined the guards, pistol aimed at the back of Mirialan's head, a spot that kept him near Snoke. By the entrance to the dining hall, she spotted what had to be Paige's wing-tip catching the light – the backup group laying in wait.

A single clear-quartz Dragoon held Leia's life in his hands, in the form of the frayed end of the old rope.

Snoke seemed to relish his excessive speech making, because Leia looked like she had stopped listening to his words ages ago. Han, on the other, was still struggling against the three guards keeping him on his knees, trying to reach his wife in vain.

“At long last, the Republic's most stubborn light will finally be snuffed out. I must say, your Majesty, had I known you would be at this prestigious event, I would have planned well advance. This is a day I've been looking forward to for a very long time, taking Chandrila into my fold. With your planet's personal military, it will be a matter of days, not weeks, before Coruscant falls, and my Empire will be complete...” he paused, drinking in the posterity of the moment, as Rey slowly back up and bent into a charged crouch.

“A shame you will not live long enough to see it in its full glory...I suppose...all that remains is for me to say goodbye...”

A pregnant silence, and Rey's heart took off galloping. Was he about to order the guard to drop her?

“ _PRISONER ESCAPE! Stop her!!_ ” came a shout, loud enough for all in the palace to hear.

Rey's head snapped back to the staircase, starlight staff roaring into existence. Two Beetle guards had snuck up behind Phasma and surprised them. But the Dragoon drew her fire-bolt crossbow from her back fast as lightning, planting a bolt in one's chest, pinning him to the wall, dispatching the second with her extendable chrome pike.

Rapid footsteps up the stairs, reinforcements coming to the Beetles' aid, and a fiery head of hair, and face pale with rage rounded the corner.

Hux fired his fire-bolt pistol at the top of Phasma's thigh, one of a handful of spots her silver armor did not protect in order to allow for agility in movement. She fell to her knees with an agonized cry.

Hux' burning eyes met Rey's, and his spittle had turned to steam from the heat emanating from his mouth when he sneered at her.

“You stupid whore... _you never know when to just lay down and take it do you?!_ ”

If casting her gaze on the man who'd nearly raped her wasn't enough to make her see red, his words did the trick.

Rey charged, starlight staff spinning at top speed to block and deflect every bolt he aimed at her. She channeled her anger into a constructive burst of energy. Suddenly she was fire and light, and Hux yelped in pain as her blast razed his pupils. Seizing her opportunity, Rey vaulted onto the staircase's banister, leapt from it, and knocked Hux' pistol from his hand with bone-breaking force.

When the sunlight cleared, Hux was backed against the wall, clutching his broken, bleeding hand to his chest pathetically, blinking away tears. Her starlight staff had morphed into a spear, and its razor-sharp point was set hard against his throat.

He sniveled, shocked and scared.

“Please...don't...” was all he managed to mutter out. Rey slowly, imperiously, shook her head.

“This is for my honor. Burn in the Thirteenth Hell, you bastard,” she bit out through gritted teeth.

And she crouched down low, one leg settling parallel to the floor, and thrust upward through his crotch.

Hux' mouth fell open with a gargling cry of shock as he choked on his own blood, the point of her staff emerging from the back of his throat.

With a squelching, snapping tug, Rey ripped her spear from him bodily, Hux falling limply on the stairs, dying slowly, painfully, from internal and external bleeding alike, most of his internal organs ruptured, devastated.

Rey's attention snapped back to the balcony, to Leia, to the danger she was in, bloody staff flashing away.

“ _Go...! Now!_ ” Phasma grunted, painfully, rising to her feet to meet the tide of Beetles racing up the stairs to apprehend them.

“ _DROP HER!!_ ” screamed a furious Snoke, at the exact same moment.

Rey's legs took off like a gunshot.

She did not hesitate or slow, even as Leia began to fall, her rope released. Judging by the sudden golden glow that seemed illuminated her mother-in-law, Rey knew her eyes were glowing. She leapt from the edge of the balcony, muscles rocketing her into the expanse above the hall. Arms outstretched, the Queen-Mother landing in them with ease.

For one terrifying split second, Rey felt gravity attempt to claim them both.

Then, her scarf billowed and caught the wind, guiding her in a perfectly aimed glide across the gorge. She held on tight to Leia, as the East wing balcony neared. With the railing still in place, the landing would be a rough one.

Rey bent her knees as she _just barely_ cleared the rail, toes vaulting her forward, rolling end over end in a ball until their momentum ceased, and the pair lay flat on their backs, catching their breath.

Rey couldn't help it. The moment she had strength to stand and help Leia up, she broke out in a fit of laughter. The Queen joined in, but the relieved moment only lasted for a second.

A thunderous explosion rocked the balcony, and the floor, now ablaze, fell away under Rey's feet, Leia's expression morphing from joy into horror as she tumbled out of sight.

Rey's scarf saved her again, or at least broke her fall enough to leave her with little worse then a bad twinge in her ankles.

She head whipped up in Snoke's direction, and though his hand was clenched in an animalistic claw, it was Kylo's palm that was guttering with flame.

“I see your six hours of solitary did you little good,” Snoke snarled. Rey stood tall, and before he could order the troops to jump her, she summoned her starlight staff to her aid, ensuring its mere glow had strengthened to sparking and deadly, end still sharp as a pike. Any wound it could inflict would prove debilitating, if not fatal, to any shadow-magick users.

“No amount of time spent locked in a cell could convince me to join _you_ ,” Rey returned, stalking closer when she saw how the guards cowered in fear, not daring to approach.

But the Emperor held up his hand, unconcerned. The guards stepped even further away, at his behest.

“Such a foolish child you are. No wonder my pupil took to you so. _P_ eas in _p_ od, you are,” said Snoke, spitting his P's in a disgusting fashion, though Rey didn't even flinch. “Your untamed, raw strength, will never reach its fullest potential now. With a great master, you could have-”

“I _had_ a teacher. A brilliant one, with a kind heart. I've come to take him back,” Rey interjected, eyes burning like starlight. She could _feel_ her power, shimmering and shivering at the surface, eager to leap forth at her bidding and _fight_.

“ _Ben Solo is dead..._ ” Snoke growled, in warning, stalling her steps. Clearly, he wouldn't let her within a four-foot radius.

“You're wrong. You've _always_ been wrong about him. Underestimating him will be your undoing...” she mused, buying time as she reached for Ben's presence.

She could feel it, hammering like a heartbeat, strong and brave. He wanted fervently to come to her aid. _But he couldn't move!_

Snoke drew her full attention back. He was laughing, a dry, hollow, decaying thing, a laugh only a soulless tyrant could produce.

“And trusting him blindly will be _yours_.”

A thrust of his hand, and Kylo charged, a fleeting shadow. Rey blinked, and she was on her knees, disarmed, Kylo's black visor staring at her, blank and emotionless, even as he held the point of his fire sword a breath from her throat.

Snoke _cackled_ like a gleeful child.

“Oh, such a look of _surprise!_ What did you think, you stupid girl – that you would come to face me, give Kylo true love's kiss, and the spell would break, allowing you to defeat _me?!_ ” His voice morphed from a snide, sarcastic lashing to a brutal, guttural roar. “ _A fairy tale, this is not!_ ”

Rey barely listened. She attacked the barrier around Ben's thoughts with everything she had. She threw everything she could at it.

Her love for Ben.

Her hatred for Snoke.

Her hope for the life they'd planned.

Her belief in the strength they possessed when united.

The seal held, but it seemed thinner than before, less resilient. It was growing flimsy. She kept up the assault.

“If only you had been more malleable, I would had been able to turn your spitfire against you and claim your magicks as my own. Unfortunately, the Gods saw fit to conceal you from me in my grand plan for the galaxy's betterment and order,” Snoke snarled, unaware of her actions.

She focused on the individual moments of their relationship – their begrudging agreement that evolved into an odd, tentative trust, into a sure friendship, and from there into love. She threw the memory of caring caresses and candlelight dances and sensuous evenings and sweet kisses at the barrier, and it began to crumble and flake.

But it needed something stronger, one last sure blow to crack it wide open and free Ben's mind, make his magicks his own again.

“Had I found you at conception, like Kylo, I would've been able to turn you with ease by the time you reached adolescence. In spite of that loss, it seems Kylo was all I needed.”

The sword spat and flashed and curled, flames dancing furiously, but Rey was heedless of the heat, just focused on reaching him. After all, Ben's sword couldn't cut or burn her on principle – the element of which it was made could do her no harm. She was resistant to it.

And even if she wasn't, even if she _could_ be burnt...he'd promised her...

_That's it!!_

“Which means, for all your power, all your _frivolous love_ , you've wasted your time.” Snoke spat in disgust, before his mouth settled into a sadistic grin. “You are...expendable.”

Kylo drew his sword arm back, preparing to drop the full force of the edge of his blade on her neck and cleave her head from her shoulders with spite and malice-

_You vowed you would never hurt me, Ben Solo._

...And then his arm froze at the top of his arc.

“...What?” Snoke murmured.

And in the blink of an eye, a single motion, Rey dove from behind Kylo, summoned her starlight bow, drew back the arrow, and loosed.

Snoke's breath rattled like the wind had been knocked from him when the arrow pierced his stomach.

Ash exploded off of Kylo in a violent storm, revealing messy dark hair and the dearest pair of hazel eyes she'd ever known.

_Rey..._

She couldn't have said who offered whose hand first. But her left was clasped in his right when she stood and they turned to face Snoke. One pair of eyes sparked with starlight, and the other spat Hellfire as they raised their free hands.

Snoke's hand shot to his throat, and he began choking, violently. Hacking and coughing like he'd inhaled a poisonous mushroom's spores, and that was almost accurate.

Except, a different kind of organic matter had just spontaneously germinated in Snoke's throat, and was beginning to grow at a rapid, relentless pace, fueled by the raw energy of his living body.

Roots shot down his spinal column, soaking up the blood in his veins and the nutrients from his punctured intestines. He nearly suffocated as a wide trunk began curving out from his throat, uncoiling and violently attempting to find its way out, and unhinged his jaw. Seconds after, the crown of branches made his skull explode as they unfurled from every opening on his face.

The young, green shoots stretched and reached and snaked, searching for the sun as his skin hardened into pale, brown bark and his limbs morphed into thick boughs and roots. His internal organs were broken down into bloody, pulpy fertilizer, his bones snapping and releasing the succulent marrow, both rich energies source as the tree grew exponentially bigger.

The branches and canopy became fuller still, twisting and splitting and creaking, digging into the cracks that had been made in the marble from the destruction of the palace at his hand. The leaves darkened to a shade of olive green, and after a more minute of snapping and growling, the growth slowed to a stop.

You could hardly even tell Snoke had been in the place where the tree was, a moment ago, except for the knot on the right side of the trunk, near where the branches emerged, and the deep scar on it's opposite left, resembling the aged, horrible blemishes of the twisting scar and missing chunk of his jaw the wicked man had possessed.

That, and the last piece of him to transform were the pair of sallow, blue eyeballs that had settled, abandoned, in the nook of two branches. They now floated up into the air, and affixed themselves to the branches above, morphing into tiny green apples, to join the chorus of fruit that _popped_ in existence all along the boughs.

“A Manchineel tree?” Ben asked, glancing at his fiancé.

“Also known as the tree of death. Its apples are toxic,” she said, grinning. Ben returned the smarmy expression.

“Perfect.”

And, their eyes still aglow, they cast a spark and lit the dead Inferi, no longer impervious to the pyrokinetics he had been immune to when he was a Mystic.

The inferno _roared_ with the strength they fed it, decimating the tree utterly and completely. In seconds, the apples had turned to ask, and the bark had turned to charcoal. It seemed as if the wood cracked and whistled under the strain so much that it screamed, but the pair didn't stop to consider if the sound could have any supernatural causes. They just put on more flame, burned hotter, faster.

The flames licking the crumbling stump of charcoal were now white-hot, and blinding for anyone but them to look at, and they pressed on. Now the branches were gone. Now the stump was four feet tall. Now three. Now two. Now eight inches, five, three. Now only the roots remained.

And finally, there was nothing but a finite, measly handful of black ash, which Ben dealt with by opening up the marble, the concrete foundation, and the earth beneath, and letting the raw magma of Mustafar swallow it whole, sealing the pit shut with a _snap_ of his fingers.

The front doors burst open, and New Republic troops flooded the palace, detaining the Imperial usurpers, arresting any wanted Nightmare Courtiers (mostly the older generation, and Cognus' side of the family), and freeing the palace staff and guests from captivity.

But beyond the split second of overwhelming relief, Rey paid little mind to the Republic navy breaking down their door.

Because Ben had seized her in his arms, and was spinning round and round and round with her on the spot, kissing her, laughing with elation, his presence exploding with sheer jubilance.

And she laughed right along with him, soul on fire.

Because she had her soulmate back.

And he was finally free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3


	43. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are cordially invited to the wedding of Ben Solo and Rey Somnus.
> 
> Ceremony at 2:00, lunch, drinking, dancing and general merrymaking to follow.
> 
> Celebration ends at midnight, or when the married couple decides to sneak away - whichever comes first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wedding music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JGe5GAhOf4

A/N: Double Moodboards for the Epic Conclusion, one for the Bride, one for the Groom!

“Rey, if you wring the stems anymore, you'll strangle that bouquet,” said Han, with a teasing smile. Rey blinked down at her hands and ceased their nervous twisting of the pink and yellow roses.

“Oh...I didn't even realize...” Her father-in-law (nearly anyway) chuckled warmly.

“Breathe Rey, it's perfectly normal to be nervous.”

She smirked.

“Were you?” He offered her his arm as they began their circuitous path down the West wing spiral staircase.

“I didn't look it, but I was shaking in my boots.” This got Rey to chuckle, and Han took that as a good sign to persist just a bit more. They were halfway to the entrance hall already.

“Think this staircase will hold us? The staff did repair it in a mad rush yesterday...” She laughed aloud.

“With magick, Han! Even as a Dannan, you should know how reliable magickal fixes are!”

“Well, now I do.”

By the time they'd reached the base of the staircase, Rey's nerves had fled her for the most part.

She had to agree with Han on that score – the staff had worked a miracle. One could hardly tell the palace had come under attack the day before; not a crystal vase, silk curtain, or rose blossom looked dirty, shoddy, or out of place.

It certainly helped that the staff had a smaller wedding party to feed now, Rey noted, as Han led her down the white velvet-covered aisle, to the middle of the sunny space. Nearly all of Ben's guests had either been arrested or had escaped. Now only his Knights, Ahsoka, Maul, Grievous, and Mirialan remained.

Both of them had agreed that the Court's absence wasn't truly a loss.

Those who really mattered, their bridesmaids and groomsmen, still loyally flanked the aisle under the delphinium-hyacinth trellis arch Rey had grown herself.

Rose, Paige, Phasma, Kaydel, and Daisy stood on her side, Cardo, Vicrul, Ap'lek, Kuruk, Trudgen, and Ushar on Ben's, dressed in smartly matched royal blue evening gowns and vests.

Ahsoka and Maul, as officiants, stood at the head in more somber, traditional black and white robes.

And finally, her gaze landed on her soulmate, dressed like royalty in a black, silken suit that shimmered navy, and a dark velvet cape that reached his ankles.

He had tears glittering in his eyes.

_Rey, my love...when Ahsoka said you'd asked her to make you a blue dress, I never would have suspected...!_

He gratefully wiped his eyes with the pocket kerchief Finn offered him from his seat in the front row.

_Nine heavens, you're a vision..._

_Thank you, my love,_ she said with a radiant smile as Han brought her to a stop at Ben's side, patting his son on the shoulder in reassurance, making Ben blurt out a sobbing chuckle.

He swiped at his eyes one more time and return the kerchief to Finn.

“Thanks,” he gulped.

“Anytime,” her brother responded with a grin, Poe smiling cheekily at his side.

Ben grasped her hands and they stood for some time, Ahsoka and Maul's words buzzing in their ears without really being heard, though they got the gist of them. Eternal love, a sacred promise, a marriage of two opposites, the celebration of a beautiful union.

They were too consumed with each other to hear.

_I can't believe this actually happening!_ Rey whispered through the bond. Ben hid his giggle, probably poorly.

_Neither can I, my love. I feel like my body can barely contain the multitude of my joy!_

She had to agree with him on that score. Every inch of her skin felt electric and alive, the blood practically singing through her veins. Rey's further examination of Ben's perfectly tailored suit revealed the beautiful hints of navy embroidery, Nightmare blessings sewn onto the cuffs, or the Chandrilan crest impressed on the silver buttons.

 _You look utterly handsome, Ben..._ she murmured, love-struck.

_I don't know that ogling me in the middle of the ceremony is the wisest idea, my lady. My cousins are bound to notice._

_Firstly, they were only your cousins on a technicality to begin with! Secondly, just you wait until tonight-_

“These rings were forged by us, actually,” Ahsoka said with a smile, holding up the presentation box, lined with black velvet and containing two fiery-toned, golden bands, surprising Rey and postponing their banter.

“They've been in the court for generations, but the designs were entirely unsuited for you and your story, so we re-purposed the metal,” Maul noted, with a pleasant expression that could easily be mistaken for a smile.

Rey beamed.

“Thank you both, that was very kind of you...” Ahsoka grinned, owlish as ever.

“You may state your vows, now.”

The couple glanced at each other again.

Ben grinned and laughed.

“My turn first, I suppose.”

Rey giggled beautifully, the sound ringing like a crystalline bell in the cathedral-like space. His gaze visibly softened, eyes crinkling with love.

“My Rey, my dear Lady Somnus, how to describe the change you've brought upon my life? Before I met you, I was lost to the universe. Truly, I was caught between the pull of two equal and opposite gravity wells, adrift between them, and losing myself with each passing moment. I forgot who 'Ben Solo' was, forgot all that he yearned and strove for, and worked only in the service of others.

“Then you came into my life, and though you crashed into it with the force of a comet-” the whole assembly chuckled, Rey included, though she sassed him with an eye-roll too, “you became as kind, patient, and certain as a guiding star. My own North Star, who lead me from the dark with love and mercy, and helped me rediscover myself, and embrace my identity fully.

“There is no gift in the universe great enough to repay you for all you have done, but I do vow this: to love you, honor you, be kind to you, be patient, and your staunch, faithful supporter until my dying day, as you have been mine,” Ben finished, smile turning a bit watery again.

“Rey?” prompted Ahsoka.

“Ben Solo...” she let out a little, happy sigh, heart beating giddily “Since the moment I met you, you have struggled with you identity, with your place in the universe, wrestled with your very name. At first, I didn't know what to make of you. I had heard so many stories growing up that I was certain I knew exactly who you were. But...for such a great lover of fairy tales, I forgot one of the most important lessons I learned from them: appearances can be deceiving.”

He smirked at that, a bittersweet expression with a touch of humor. The crowd hummed in thought.

“For under the mask, and all the struggle that had shrouded you, was the brave, good-hearted, passionate Prince Charming I'd been searching for – all my life!” she laughed, tears wavering in the corners of her eyes already “And I'm not like you, my dear; I have no title. I'm not Chandrila's crown prince. I'm just a Duster girl from Jakku who loves you, very, very much. But the promises I make to you, today, are much the same as any brave prince makes to their beloved: I vow to love you, protect you, share the burdens you carry, show you every kindness, and devote myself to you for the rest of our days.”

“You make exchange rings,” instructed Maul.

The fiery bands, outside of their heated, red-gold hue, appeared to have an intricate, braided vine design circling the circumference, tiny buds nestled among the leaves. Outside of differences in size and thickness to suit their fingers, the bands were identical, Rey noted, as she slipped Ben's on his left hand, and he pocketed her engagement ring before replacing it with the wedding band.

“All you who are present are witness to these vows, and will hold this pair to their promises for the remainder of their living days,” Maul declared, addressing the room at large. Ahsoka grinned broadly, sniffling as she began the ceremony's conclusion.

“So, by the power vested in us, granted by the Ethereal Gods and our Nightmare High-Priest-”

“Who is absent from this occasion...” Maul interjected, under his breath.

“ _Maul..._ ”

“We now pronounce you, husband and wife,” the Daemon continued, grinning.

“You may kiss the bride.”

And though they rushed to get to it, the kiss was magickal and sang through Rey's whole body, their collective joy radiating like light from a small sun when Ben swept her off her feet.

Then they were swarmed by a dozen congratulations, hugs, and pats on the back. The staff passed out champagne which was raised in not one, but two overzealous toasts. The wedding party sprinted down the hall to the Gold Dining room, stuffing themselves with beef and fish, greens and pasta.

But the true hit of lunch was the Jakkuan confectionery-bread, adored by all, even Ben, whom Rey messily fed a piece of, getting cream on the tip of his nose.

The merry-making took off in earnest after lunch, the orchestra striking up the minute the wedding party occupied the flower-bedecked Diamond Ballroom, the group cheering and clapping and dancing for hours on end.

It took Rey dragging Phasma out on the dance floor for her to stubbornly join, but Matt and Daisy were only too gleeful to part-take while they had the energy for it. The Golem and Frost Fae couple goaded the wedded couple into a double-date dance, exchanging partners. Within minutes, Rey diaphragm hurt from laughing, as Matt, only “mildly tipsy”, could not seem to shut up about the physical prowess of him and his look-alike. It made little difference to Matt that she kept exclaiming an eight-pack was a physical impossibility, the technician insisted Ben had to have one, simply because the Golem did. It took Daisy spiriting her boyfriend away for Rey to finally be able to catch her breath, with ample assistance from Ben.

The Ticos danced without a care in the world, prompting Rey to join them next, making Ben chortle with glee. The troublesome trio even managed to take the shy Grievous and hesitant Mirialan into their fold with ease, along with any Knights so bold as to ask for their company, forcing Ben to join on the riotous group dance as well. Ahsoka and Maul showed off their genuinely impressive tango repertoire, after a few drinks had lowered their inhibitions.

As was customary, the wedded pair shared a dance with the family, Rey with Han, and Ben with Leia, resulting in a great deal of laughter and a few happy tears. Finn and Poe captured the attention of their room with their lovesick antics more than once (even if their ballroom dancing skills left something to be desired). But beyond that, Rey stayed wrapped in Ben's embrace, head resting on his fervent, beating heart, wide blue skirts swirling and swaying all day and well into the night.

It seemed to Rey that she blinked, and suddenly the stars were winking beyond the tall, arched windows, where minutes before there'd been bright sunlight.

The couple picked up their heads.

Matt and Daisy had disappeared hours ago, no doubt making good use of their new guest suite. Maul was passed out drunk, and Ahsoka was supporting his head on her shoulder, greeting them with a tipsy smile and a lazy wave.

The Ticos, Finn, and Poe, were chatting quietly in a corner, along with Cardo and Vicrul, the rest of the Knights retired for the night.

Grievous and Mirialan had wished them goodnight just a few minutes prior. Ben's parents were the last to approach the happy couple.

“Goodnight, you two,” said Leia with a tired smile.

“Try to get _some_ sleep tonight, maybe?” Han teased, earning him an elbow in the stomach from his wife.

“We will, don't worry, Dad,” Ben said, yawning in the middle of his sentence.

“Congratulations, once again. We're so, so happy for you both...” murmured Leia, the pair embracing them warmly.

“Goodnight...” Ben and Rey said collectively, as the aged King and Queen headed to bed.

Ben glanced around.

“Well...I'd say the party's wound down enough to sneak out, wouldn't you?” he whispered.

“Yes, I think it would hardly be considered rude to leave now,” she grinned nodding. He chuckled, and lifting her hefty skirts, Rey linked arms with him and they slowly padded up the many steps to their room.

“We've got to come up with a better system than stairs, for when we're exhausted and can't bear the steps,” Rey murmured wearily, upon reaching the top.

“We?” Ben laughed.

“Yes, we! Who else do you think is going to be Emperor, now?”

“Oh, please – let's save all talk of politics for tomorrow,” Ben groaned, exhausted.

“Well, whoever it is, they'll need a political ally to help balance them out.”

“A partner? Is that what you're suggesting?” he asked, lips curling into a smile.

She poked his ribs and he flinched away.

“A _political_ partner is what I was suggesting – _seriously_ might I add!” Rey said, shaking her head. He kissed her temple, and Rey softened against her better conscience.

“Then what luck it is I already married the perfect one,” he said, swinging the doors to his suite wide open, and scooping her into his arms to carry her over the threshold.

Rey chortled.

“Oh, my love, must you be so cliché?” He stole a kiss, her giggles making his lips vibrate.

“Yes. You compel me so, with how much you love me and set my whole world alight.” He returned her to the ground, and the shadows shut the doors from just a flick of his hand.

“Well...leave it to a Duster to do her job and put a bit of hope back into the world...”

He lifted her hands to his lips, brushing delicate kisses along the knuckles of one, and then the other.

“Yes, you did...” She smiled, cupped his face in her hands, and stretched up for a kiss, Ben blissfully leaned into the contact, running his fingers through her still beautifully loose, curly, wavy hair (even if the coils had lost most of their spring by day's end).

He moaned into the kiss as she playfully tugged at his ebony locks, and she couldn't help her smile. Ben parted from her with a soft brush of noses, eyes locked on hers.

“Now...how about I help you out of that heavy dress, my sweet?” he said, voice husky and low.

“ _Please,_ ” Rey muttered, tiredly, making him chortle “It's gorgeous, but it is quite a weight.” Even knowing what he was going to do, he still managed to find little ways to pleasantly surprise her, trailing soft kisses down her neck as he undid the buttons – two at the neck of the dress, four at her waist, after the key-hole at the back.

Her fingers nimbly untied his cape in the meanwhile, and unbuttoned his coat with ease, pulling it off his shoulders to join the cape, pooled on the floor. He was smirking at her. She glared, clutching the bodice of her dress to her clavicle.

“I'm not wearing very much under here, Ben. It isn't, strictly speaking, fair.” He clicked his tongue, eyes dark and wanting.

“Oh...well we can't have that...” he purred, making her blush, squeal, and jerk away from the kiss he tried to fix her with. So Ben kicked off his shoes, and helped Rey with undoing his shirt and pants.

The _moment_ his dress shirt was open, she began kissing up his gorgeous torso, worshipping each of the rippling muscles.

“Rey, you spoil me!” he groaned, once she reached the top and nibbled his neck lasciviously.

“Hmm-hmm...only a little, my love!”

His belt clattered to the floor, pants swiftly joining it in a rush. He tugged off his socks a little less than elegantly.

Rey bit back her smile.

“Thank you for not laughing at me,” he said, bashfully, now standing only in his boxers.

“I could've helped...?” she suggested.

“Hmm – there's a thought. Next time.” And her happy-blush was _radiant._

“Sit down, baby...” he murmured, kneading her lips so sweetly she could hardly say no. Still clutching the bodice of the dress to her chest, Rey settled on his bed's duvet, and, eyes not lifting from hers, Ben gently folded up her skirts and helped unclasp her brilliant, if a little tricky to undo, heels.

Fortunately, it took only an extra minute to figure out the shoe's attached anklets, and then he made a show of it, kissing her ankles, looking up at her with half-lidded eyes, and massaging her calves as he unbuckled them, turning her to putty in his hands.

“Ben, my sweet husband...” she breathed when he stood again, and he leaned forward, putting his weight on his hands on the comforter to kiss her, groaning.

“ _Gods,_ I love it when you call me that...” he rasped.

“My husband,” she whispered, grinning.

“My _wife_ ,” he breathed, nipping her bottom lip and making her exclaim, musically, in surprise.

He reached for her veil and coronet, helping remove the delicate family heirlooms.

“Best get these out of the way before we ruin or break them on accident,” he smirked. Rey relented, rolling her eyes.

“Yes, that would be wise...” And he safely rested them on the bedside table, gently folding the veil and placing the coronet on top.

When he turned to back to her though, his dark look of desire had sobered a bit into one of gentle love.

“May I get a look at you?” he murmured, and Rey's heart fluttered at his consideration. Nodding, she rose and dropped her arms, letting the dress tumble from her body, slowing only a moment at her hips, until the mass of fabric rippled to the floor, settling in a frumpy mass she could step out of, wearing nothing now but a pair of blue, lace panties.

She crossed an arm in front of her chest for a feeling of security, feeling a twinge shy, though she let her right arm rest under her breasts.

Rey waved her free hand about, nervously.

“Ahsoka thought my undergarments should match the dress,” she muttered, by way of explanation, and to fill the silent void “I didn't really see the point in it but..” Rey bit her bottom lip, stilling her rambling and met Ben's eyes.

He crossed the small space between them, seizing her in an ardent kiss that shoved all her worries away, left thumb stroking her breast lovingly, as he bent his head to cover each mound with tender kisses.

She moaned at his attentions, lustful and happy.

“You're so exquisitely beautiful...” he whispered, and she had to bury her face in his neck.

“ _Ben..._ ”

“Heh-heh-heh, don't tell me you aren't yet used to my doting compliments, my lady,” he teased, kissing her neck.

“I hope I never get used to them...that they always make me feel this way...” she murmured, floating on the current of her tender desires.

“And me as well, my love...”

Unexpectedly, he heaved her into his arms, thighs secure in his grasp, tugging at her lips as her arms shot around his neck for purchase. But between the succulent kisses, and the sensation of his arousal pressed against her eager, warm center, Rey quickly melted. Circling her dress, he took her around to the bed's other side, laying her down, and clambering above her.

His smile was quite the devilish thing.

“Hold on, my love.”

“Ben Solo, what are you scheming?!”

“Nothing you couldn't predict! We have committed ourselves to one another with the Gods as our witness – the same is expected for our consummation.”

And suddenly the bed with them in it was swallowed whole, thrust into in shadow, the sensation like plunging into a cool, water-less bath. When Rey came up for air again, the four-posters burgundy curtains had been dropped, concealing them from sight. But the top of the canopy...that was entirely missing...and instead-

“ _You did not just transport us to the roof,_ ” Rey gasped.

His raucous laughter could've been heard for miles around.

“You – utter – scoundrel!” she said, slapping his perfect pecs in anger. “You could've at least warned me!”

“Oh, but my lady, the gentlemen of my Court told me that most every lady, regardless of religious sect, _adores_ this surprise in the ceremony-” Another hard smack, which only made him giggle more.

Rey snarled.

“You're impossible.” She stopped her physical assault, seeing that the mild hits were getting her nowhere.

“You didn't even have the _slightest_ suspicion that this might happen, Rey?!”

“I forgot making love under the stars was a requirement at all!! These past few days-!!!”

“Okay, okay...” Ben said, grasping her hands and assuaging her anger. “My apologies. But...I hope you at least like the view...?”

The Ethereum stretched out above them, blue-greens nebulas winking, swirling, warping with millions of brilliant stars.

“Of course I do.” And her smile encouraged him too “But, though no one can see us, won't the guards-”

“All inside tonight,” Ben said, flicking the mauve fabric by way of explanation “The curtains are more of a psychological comfort than an actual way to block the view.”

“Thank you,” Rey breathed, voice resonating with relief. He chuckled.

“Old Nightmare design, not my idea.”

The mood shifted around them, as if desire was swirling, raw and rich and crimson in the Ethereum that night, nudging their presences back on track.

“Where were we?” Ben whispered, thumb brushing over Rey's cheekbones. She enfolded his lips and he hummed.

“Marveling at how wonderful – it sounded – to call each other – husband – and wife,” Rey whispered, between pecks.

“Hmmm...yes...” Ben breathed, nuzzling against her nose, pulling her closer to him with each searching kiss, until she finally clambered into his lap.

It was like an electric jolt up her spine, and it warmed her belly fiercely.

“Ben...you feel so good, my dear...” His tongue plumbed her mouth, coaxing her desire, its ministrations slow.

“I can't wait to know how good _you_ feel. Baby, you felt so wonderfully tight around my fingers-” Rey gasped and clenched her thighs a bit tighter, and Ben grunted, his eyes lustfully dark. “You've driven me to dreaming with longing about the real thing...but first things first...” he cooed, laying her on her back.

“Let's make sure you're good and ready for me – relaxed and soaked...”

“And how to you intend to do that?” she teased, seductively. His lips pecked the shell of her ear.

“By making a meal of you, and worshipping you with my tongue...” he murmured, and Rey _moaned_ with want.

“My darling, that'd be wonderful!” she said, half gasping, half laughing. One peck more, and he grasped her panties between his fingers.

“Then I won't make you wait.”

He peeled off her undergarments, Rey lifting her hips to help. Ben lovingly parted her thighs, taking in her swollen, red, femininity with a sigh, cheeks dusting with a doting shade of pink.

“Lovely...so lovely...”

Rey's stomach shuddered with joy and something far more delicious.

“Ben, my husband, you're a man of rare breed indeed.”

“For adoring every inch of my wife? Please...” he muttered, smooching up her thigh, eyes glinting. His fingers unexpectedly fiddled mildly with her center, making her jump, and him hum with a chuckle.

“Already so sweetly wet...you flatter me, my darling...” His kisses neared the spot where she wanted them most, and she gave a small shudder.

Glancing up, and spotting her pupils grown large with lust, Ben dove in, long, dexterous tongue, lapping generously. Rey arched into him, crying out.

“ _Oh – GODS!_ ” she screamed. It euphoria, pure pleasure and euphoria, and her husband was ardent. His kisses were messy and sopping, his licks firm and sweeping over her whole sex. And when the tip of his tongue quickly swirled around her clit in the way his fingers had, she wailed and tried to twist away from him. It was so good, it was almost too much.

Ben held her hips tight, keeping her close as he fondling and caressed and tasted her, getting high off her keening, member wanting to rip free from its cloth prison.

“ _Ben – oh, sweetheart! BEN!!_ ” It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, and she was falling towards her end, fast.

 _Rey, your nectar is the sweetest thing I've ever tasted..._ His breath hitched even in his head, and he growled with lust. _THIRTEEN HELLS, I want you so much, I want to make you whimper, my sweet! Let me hear you, baby!!_

Her eyes were rolling back...oh Gods... _oh Gods_...

She screamed and shuddered and hurtled over the edge, crashing into pleasure at light-speed in such a manner that when the shaking and release gradually stopped, and her eyes blinked open, there were subtle, blinking spots in her vision.

He lay by her side, letting catch her breath.

“That was...a bit aggressive, Ben...” Rey was finally able to voice, turning her head to face him, his tongue still working over his lips, savoring every last drop of her with lustful delight.

“But not painful?” he said, mildly worried. She shook her head.

“No, just...” She shuddered. “ _Whew..._ ” He laughed, understanding her meaning perfectly.

“Consider it pay-back for your heavenly, sensuous blow-job.” She groaned, partly annoyed and partly flattered.

He gently rubbed her stomach, tender and idle. She took in a breath, totally at ease for a moment, until she remembered what came next and her heartbeat sped up.

His intuition picked up on her anxiety immediately. He sat up, embracing her and kissing her cheeks, her nose, her temples, her forehead, in reassurance.

“The _second_ you feel any sort of pain, we stop, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And if it's too much, it is perfectly fine if we don't go all-” She sat up too, molding his lips to his.

“But I want to – _terribly_ Ben. Even if it is also a bit scary I...” Another kiss, a slow, vulnerable one “I _want_ you...”

He pressed his forehead to hers, overwhelmed by love, and simply let himself feel. This is what it was to hold a woman who truly loved him, and whom he loved in return.

He would spend the rest of his life, thanking each and every star in turn, for bringing him her.

“Okay,” he breathed, parting to meet her tender, brown eyes. “Lay down, my love...” The nest of pillows by the headboard supported her wonderfully, soft and full with down feathers, and to help make their alignment more enjoyable for her, Ben placed one large pillow under the small of her back to elevate her hips.

“I'll try you with my fingers first,” he breathed, and she nodded against his tugging, affectionate lips.

One slipped in quite easily, Rey's walls tightening eagerly around him. He couldn't have stroked her upper wall more than a few times before she shivered.

“Add another...” He did, easier than before, keeping up his slow, smooth strokes, and Rey moaned against his lips, making his manhood twitch.

“One more for safety...” Ben cocked his head at her in surprise, but Rey only grinned in affirmation. “You're a rather generous man, Ben...”

“I'm just hoping I don't hurt you...” he breathed, as he made room for a third finger, and managed to curve it inside, though Rey grunted with a bit of discomfort.

“You won't Ben. You couldn't...”

His heart might just burst with happiness.

What a tale of their wedding night that would be.

He felt when her walls gave a little.

“Give it a try...” Rey murmured. Three fingers massaging her G-spot had her cursing like a sinner and wailing in moments. He only gave a couple strokes before he stopped and pulled them out.

“Are you sure about this, Rey? Even if you enjoy it, my Gods, your _mewls-_ ”

“Ben Solo, quit your fooling.” His mouth clamped shut. “Please...”

Ben was quick to shuck off his boxers, and Rey's eyes darkened further with lust.

“Ah- _ha! Rey!!_ ” he moaned, as she darted into a seated position and pleasured his length with her hand.

“You haven't been touched this whole time...There's something terribly wrong with that picture, if you ask me.” He whimpered into her neck.

“I was fine, Rey. Much more of your touch and I fear – _hngh – Gods! –_ I won't be able to...to last when...”

“Okay...” And she let up in her maddening stroking, laying back down, the head of his erection leaking.

Ben positioned himself and let out a long, slow breath. His eyes flicked up to hers, and there was nothing but certainty and love waiting for him in those rich, warm, sienna ambers.

His head grazing her slick entrance nearly set his skin on fire.

“ _Gods, Ben...please get inside..._ ” Rey gasped, arousal coiled tight in her stomach. He gently pushed forward, and, head getting past the first ring of muscle, she hissed.

“I'll stop,” he rasped. She nodded, taking deep breaths. He felt her slacken.

“Come here...” she breathed, the lilt of her voice the most sensuous sound in all the world. He nudged deeper, bent double with want, moaning.

She was tighter than he'd imagined, this sweet, soaked, warm home for him, and he forced his eyes open to gauge her pain, because without that indication, he was sure to plunge inside with reckless longing.

“Stop-” she huffed, tightening again. He nodded, gasping, and now several inches deep, he needn't hold himself to get the right angle anymore. He let go, and grasped her hand instead, her eyes squinting open, marveling at him. Her tightness quickly unwound, and she nodded, absolutely certain.

“Come home to me...” she smiled, and he slid the rest of the way in with ease.

He collapsed, pressing his forehead to hers, and wept.

From the sound of things, she was crying too, fingers gripping his hair, his shoulders, for purchase.

Their presences yelled, screamed love at one another, declaring it over and over, rapturous and sweet and passionate. Ben's flame-heart grew into an inferno, fire seeming to fill his whole chest with its fullness. Rey kissed away his tears, reminding him that the one thing he wanted to do more than anything in this moment was kiss her.

They were wrapped up tight in each for a blissful stretch of meaningless time, meaningless in the face of the eternity they felt in each other.

When their monumental emotions had calmed to a tolerable level, they met each others eyes again, dry of joyous tears.

“Make love to me?” Rey said, half-statement, half-question.

“Forever, my love,” Ben breathed, releasing her cheekbones, planting his weight on the mattress, and slowly moving his hips back and forth in her smooth, slick tunnel.

Rey's humming moan was feather-light and caramel sweet.

“Not bad?” he joked.

“Very good, actually,” her smile sensuous. He gained confidence, pulling out a bit further, lengthening his strokes.

“ _Yes..._ ” Rey murmured, the smooth pleasure blossoming from within her.

“Can I go a bit faster?” Ben huffed, the pressure of her body surrounding him deliciously.

“Please!” she breathed.

Pumping in earnest now, the sound of impact was wet and snappy. In, out, in, out, and Rey jerked about, crying and mewling with pleasure.

“Nine Heavens, _ah!!_ _That's so good!_ ” Ben growled, getting a touch possessive, lust making him manic.

“It's all for you, Rey!! All for you, every bit of my love!!” he grunted, thrusting and _smacking_ faster still, seeking relief for his aching member. Rey huffed, whimpering.

“ _Mm-mmph! Ben! Gods, I'm scared! I've never – twice, so soon – I – hrm-MM!_ ”

“ _Don't – be afraid –_ I'll catch you! _I'm here – I – LOVE – YOU!!_ ” Ben grunted, attacking her G-spot in earnest, thrusts deep and passionate.

He could feel her walls pulsing stronger and stronger, the sweet scent of her leaking out more with each incredible thrust, the _sloshing_ and _slicking_ of him moving in her an addicting sound. Ben's every sense drowned in her.

“ _BEN – I!!!_ ” She was incoherent, moaning and gasping, pleasure assaulting her from within. She couldn't – wouldn't hold on. Her eyes snapped open a moment before, hands scrambling, scratching for purchase on his back.

“ _ **BE-EN!**_ ” she cried, brokenly.

“ _REY..._ ” he grunted into her shoulder, thrusting three, four, five times, as he released generously within her.

They weren't physical beings in this moment, not flesh and blood.

They were pleasure and stardust, and they floated somewhere up above with the Gods.

The crash as they returned, his nerves rejoicing and leaping, hers singing and shaking, vibrating with the strength of an earthquake's aftershocks, was wondrous too. Because, sweaty and spent as they were, they could roll over and hold each other tight, fingers sinking bone-deep into salt-covered skin.

When Ben had caught his breath enough to form coherent thoughts, he shifted his hips, sliding out of her.

She seized his behind, making him grin, cat-like.

“Rey-”

“Don't go just yet. Stay.” He laughed, heart swooning massively – the flame in question now a calmer, candle light – and kissed her mussed hair.

“Okay, my sweet,” he whispered, sliding back inside, giving them both a tiny, liquid ripple of pleasure.

She giggled, grinding on him a touch and making him gasp.

“You're mine now, Solo. Now I've captured _you_.”

And if the Gods of the Ethereum hadn't heard their cries of ecstasy, they certainly heard his jubilant laughter now.

“Oh, is _that_ it?! You've kidnapped me and I'm _yours_ now?!” he guffawed.

“Yes. And I am yours.”

She cuddled into his chest.

“From now, until time ceases to be?” he smiled.

“Just so.”

And the Ethereum enfolded them, filling them with the providential certainty that they were home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and critiques are greatly appreciated! <3 <3 <3


	44. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vignette from Ben and Rey's honeymoon.

Ultimately, Ben was Emperor for a grand total of six months.

With his mother and father as his most staunch supporters, and many a discussion with the Galactic Republic, a peace accord was drafted and signed. Ben, with Commander Rose Tico's oversight, demilitarized the Empire, putting nearly half the Imperial fleet out of commission to be used for parts, and distributing the other half among the various Republic planets.

Joined with the Republic, and no longer a military superpower, when little of the Empire's old philosophy remained among its supporters, he dissolved it completely.

To the shock of all, except, perhaps, his wife, Ben Solo did accept his title as the Prince of Chandrila. But with that, came a several demands for change. Not knowing the planet well, having left it at age sixteen, Prince Ben ordered for the formation of a democratically-elected council to represent the interests of the people. It was Princess Rey's wording that went into the Amendment to the Constitution:

“...Representing different facets of the governing body, and standing for the vested interest of their constituents, the People's Congress of Chandrila shall check the powers of the monarchy, and hold them responsible for their actions. This Congress serves to lead Chandrila into a new age, and the securely balanced system of a Democratic Monarchy.”

So it was, after almost three years of pain-staking, fulfilling work, that Prince Ben and Princess Rey finally got their honeymoon.

The sands of Scarif under Rey's toes were a familiar sensation after the first week, but what made the soft, sinking, damp sensation heavenly was the thought that they still had three weeks more, all to themselves.

Scarif sunsets painted the sky like Rey from Jakku could never have believed – it was such a technicolor array of vibrant oranges and yellows, pinks and violets, and paired with the blue-green sea, it seemed to her like paradise.

The warm sea breeze fluttered the loose, breezy layers of her sky-blue shift, but warmer still were the arms that enfolded her.

“Everything you dreamed it would be, Rey Solo?” Ben murmured in her ear. She melted. Her husband, her love...

“Absolutely, Prince Solo,” and her joy made him chuckle.

“Though...I didn't think our honeymoon would involve quite so much morning sickness...” Ben hummed in understanding, rubbing low on her stomach, large hands seeking out the small bump that was slowly starting to show.

“What can I say? Our child simply couldn't wait to exist until after our honeymoon – we took far too long getting to it in the first place!”

Rey's laugh was warm and light, like the sound of copper bells.

“Definitely a Solo, then! Boy or girl, they're far too over-eager!” And his kiss was so slobbery and smacking, she simply had to yell and run away.

He chased her through the foaming, cool waves, laughing, soul aflame. He caught her before long, of course, only because she let him, scooping her up in his arms.

And they watched in blissful silence as the sun dipped below the deep, cerulean horizon, painting the galaxy in gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my friends, I guess this is it. :,)
> 
> Thank you so much for your kind words, attentive, appreciative, and hilarious responses to my longest book to date.
> 
> Really, writing this book has been one journey, but sharing it has been entirely another. Thank you for giving my story a chance and joining me on this wonderful voyage that gave me something to enjoy and cherish in this difficult, wearisome year.
> 
> I love each and every single one of you. <3 <3 <3 Best of luck in the new year!

**Author's Note:**

> So, uh...hi! This was my quarantine book, I guess. It turned out longer than I could have possibly imagined, and more complicated too.
> 
> Strap yourselves in for one heck of a ride, and thank you for stopping by and giving my absurd, lengthy, sappy, romantic work a shot.
> 
> Will update 2-3 times a week, as able.


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